Communication method, apparatus and system

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a communication method, an apparatus and a system, relating to the technical field of communications. The method comprises: a first communication apparatus obtaining configuration information, wherein the configuration information is used to configure a first timer, the first timer is used to determine whether to perform a j-th SDT on the basis of an i-th SDT, and i is a positive integer; and obtaining first information, wherein the first information instructs to activate the first timer. Thus, in scenarios where multiple SDTs occur in close temporal proximity, the first communication apparatus and a second communication apparatus can perform a j-th SDT on the basis of an i-th SDT without requiring additional signaling interaction, thereby reducing signaling overheads and improving transmission efficiency.

Description

Communication methods, devices and systems

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510053364.4, filed on January 13, 2025, entitled "Communication Method, Apparatus and System", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a communication method, apparatus, and system. Background Technology

[0003] With the development of mobile internet applications, smartphones are experiencing an increasing number of intermittent small data transmissions characterized by long data arrival intervals and low data volume per transmission. These include heartbeat packets generated by instant messaging messages, email clients, and other applications (APPs), as well as notifications pushed by various APP application servers. In the field of IoT applications, the periodic location information from smartwatches, the periodic readings reported by smart meters and water meters, and the periodic or event-triggered reporting from sensors such as temperature and pressure also exhibit the characteristics of intermittent small data.

[0004] Currently, the design primarily focuses on single small data transmission (SDT) between terminal devices and network devices. However, multiple SDT processes suffer from high signaling overhead and low transmission efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, and system to save signaling overhead and improve transmission efficiency during multiple SDTs.

[0006] Firstly, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a first communication device. The first communication device may be, for example, a communication equipment (such as a terminal device or network device), or a component configured in the communication equipment (such as a chip, chip system, processor, etc.), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication equipment, etc. This application does not limit the scope of the method. For ease of explanation, the following description uses the first communication device as the executing entity.

[0007] For example, the method includes: a first communication device acquiring configuration information for configuring a first timer for determining whether to perform a j-th SDT based on the i-th SDT, where i is a positive integer and j is an integer greater than i; and acquiring first information indicating activation of the first timer. Based on this, in scenarios with multiple SDTs within a close time period, the first communication device and the second communication device can perform the j-th SDT based on the i-th SDT without additional signaling interaction, thereby saving signaling overhead and improving transmission efficiency.

[0008] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, after acquiring the first information, the first communication device can activate the first timer to detect whether there is data to be transmitted within the time limit constrained by the first timer. Then, if there is data to be transmitted, the j-th SDT is performed based on the i-th SDT to save signaling and improve transmission efficiency.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect described above, in one possible implementation, when data to be transmitted exists within the duration constrained by the first timer, the first timer is terminated and a second timer is activated. This second timer, for example, may be T319. Within the duration constrained by the second timer, the j-th SDT is performed based on the i-th SDT. When data arrival is detected within the first timer, the second timer is activated to maintain the SDT state between the first and second communication devices, thereby supporting the j-th SDT between the first and second communication devices.

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the first communication device may further acquire information indicating a first threshold, which is used to determine the transmission resources for the j-th SDT. For example, if the reference signal received power (RSRP) of the downlink reference signal measured by the first communication device is higher than the first threshold, the j-th SDT uses configured grant-based SDT (CG-SDT) resources; if the RSRP of the downlink reference signal measured by the first communication device is lower than the first threshold, the j-th SDT uses random access-based SDT (RA-SDT) resources. By configuring the first threshold, the selection of resources used in the j-th SDT can be flexibly configured, thereby maintaining a balance between ensuring communication quality and saving signaling overhead.

[0011] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the first threshold is smaller than the second threshold, which is used to determine the transmission resources during the first SDT, so as to increase the probability of using CG-SDT resources and decrease the probability of using RA-SDT resources during the j-th SDT, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the information indicating the first threshold includes the offset between the first threshold and the second threshold.

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect described above, in one possible implementation, after the first communication device acquires the first information, it can terminate the second timer, during which the i-th SDT is performed within the duration constrained by the second timer. Based on this, before activating the first timer, the first communication device can terminate the second timer to end the i-th SDT.

[0014] In conjunction with the first aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the configuration information includes the duration of the first timer, that is, the duration of the first timer is configured through the configuration information. The first communication device can activate the first timer based on the duration configured by the second communication device, and determine whether the j-th SDT exists within the configured duration.

[0015] In conjunction with the first aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the first communication device can acquire an activation indication of the first timer, thereby determining whether to activate the first timer based on the activation indication, thus realizing flexible indication of activating the first timer.

[0016] In conjunction with the first aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the first communication device can acquire information indicating the activation conditions of the first timer, thereby determining the conditions for activating the first timer, and then activating the first timer when the conditions are triggered, thereby achieving the effect of saving signaling overhead during multiple SDT processes.

[0017] In conjunction with the first aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the first communication device can acquire information indicating the CG resources of the SDT. This enables the first communication device to transmit small amounts of data based on the CG resources of the SDT.

[0018] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, after the first timer expires, the j-th SDT may not exist. Alternatively, after the first timer expires, the j-th SDT may be independent of the i-th SDT, meaning the parameters of the j-th SDT are unrelated to the parameters of the i-th SDT. It should be understood that unrelated parameters do not necessarily mean that the parameters of the two SDTs are different. In this case, the interval between the j-th SDT and the i-th SDT is relatively long, making the j-th SDT unsuitable for transmission based on the i-th SDT.

[0019] In conjunction with the first aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the first communication device can acquire second information indicating the termination of the first timer. Consequently, the first communication device will not perform the j-th SDT based on the i-th SDT, or in other words, the j-th SDT is independent of the i-th SDT. Based on this, the first communication device can terminate the first timer if it is active and has not timed out, wherein after terminating the first timer, the j-th SDT is independent of the i-th SDT. For example, if it is determined that there is no j-th SDT, or if the current network quality is poor and the j-th SDT cannot be performed based on the i-th SDT, the first communication device can terminate the first timer based on the indication of the second information.

[0020] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the first communication device can obtain third information that instructs the reactivation of the activated first timer, thereby extending the timer duration to match the longer-period SDT service requirements.

[0021] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) associated with the SDT is not received during the duration of the first timer constraint, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0022] In conjunction with the first aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the first communication device can receive a wake-up signal indicating that it will receive the PDCCH associated with the SDT within a duration constrained by a first timer. By waking up the first communication device with the wake-up signal to enable downlink transmission, downlink transmission can be achieved while conserving energy, ensuring communication stability.

[0023] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, when performing the j-th SDT based on the i-th SDT, the parameters used in the j-th SDT are the same as those used in the i-th SDT.

[0024] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a second communication device. The second communication device may be, for example, a communication equipment (such as a terminal device or network device), or a component configured in the communication equipment (such as a chip, chip system, processor, etc.), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication equipment, etc. This application does not limit this. For ease of explanation, the following description uses a first communication device as the executing entity.

[0025] For example, the method includes: sending configuration information for configuring a first timer, the first timer for determining whether to perform the j-th SDT based on the i-th SDT, where i is a positive integer; and sending first information indicating that the first timer is activated.

[0026] In conjunction with the second aspect above, in one possible implementation, after sending the first information, the second communication device activates the first timer.

[0027] In conjunction with the second aspect above, in one possible implementation, the second communication device sends information indicating a first threshold, the first threshold being used to determine the transmission resources at the j-th SDT.

[0028] In conjunction with the second aspect above, in one possible implementation, the first threshold is smaller than the second threshold, which is used to determine the transmission resources during the first SDT.

[0029] In conjunction with the second aspect above, in one possible implementation, the information indicating the first threshold includes the offset between the first threshold and the second threshold.

[0030] In conjunction with the second aspect above, in one possible implementation, the configuration information includes the duration of the first timer.

[0031] In conjunction with the second aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the method further includes at least one of the following:

[0032] Obtain the activation indication of the first timer;

[0033] Obtain information indicating the trigger condition of the first timer;

[0034] Obtain information about the CG resources that are directed to SDT.

[0035] In conjunction with the second aspect above, in one possible implementation, after the first timer expires, the j-th SDT is independent of the i-th SDT.

[0036] In conjunction with the second aspect above, in one possible implementation, the second communication device sends a second message indicating the termination of the first timer, wherein, after the termination of the first timer, the j-th SDT is independent of the i-th SDT.

[0037] In conjunction with the second aspect above, in one possible implementation, the second communication device sends a third message instructing the reactivation of the activated first timer.

[0038] In conjunction with the second aspect above, in one possible implementation, the second communication device sends a wake-up signal, which is used to indicate that the PDCCH associated with the SDT will be received within the duration constrained by the first timer.

[0039] Thirdly, this application provides a communication device, including modules or units for implementing the methods of the first aspect, the second aspect, or any of the possible implementations. Specifically, the modules, units, or means can be implemented in software, in hardware, or in a combination of software and hardware.

[0040] Fourthly, this application provides a communication device including one or more processors for executing a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) in a memory, such that the communication device implements the methods of the first aspect, the second aspect, or any possible implementation.

[0041] Optionally, the device further includes a memory for storing computer programs and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, which, when executing the computer program stored in the memory, can implement the methods described in the first aspect, the second aspect, or any of the possible embodiments above.

[0042] Optionally, the device further includes a communication interface for communicating with other devices. For example, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, or other type of communication interface.

[0043] Fifthly, this application provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting the implementation of the functions involved in the first aspect, the second aspect, or any possible implementation described above.

[0044] In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory for storing computer programs and data, which may be located inside or outside the processor.

[0045] The chip system can consist of chips or include chips and other discrete components.

[0046] In one possible design, the chip system also includes a power supply circuit for supplying power to the chip system.

[0047] In a sixth aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium including a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to implement the methods of the first aspect, the second aspect, or any possible implementation.

[0048] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a computer program product comprising: a computer program that, when run, causes a computer to perform the methods of the first aspect, the second aspect, or any possible implementation.

[0049] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a system including the aforementioned first communication device and second communication device.

[0050] The third to eighth aspects of this application correspond to the technical solutions of the first aspect of this application. The beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation are similar, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0051] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the communication method provided in this application;

[0052] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a relay system provided in this embodiment;

[0053] Figure 3 shows a flowchart of a CG-SDT process provided in this application;

[0054] Figure 4 shows a flowchart of a RA-SDT process provided in this application;

[0055] Figure 5 shows a flowchart of another RA-SDT process provided in this application;

[0056] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0060] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0061] Figure 11 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0062] Figure 12 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0063] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the following points will be explained first:

[0064] In this application, for the convenience of describing the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" may be used to distinguish them. The terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the terms "first" and "second" are not necessarily different.

[0065] In this application, a channel can be understood as a physical resource, or as data, signaling, etc., transmitted through a resource. For example, a network device sending downlink control information (DCI) via a PDCCH can also be described as the network device sending a PDCCH, or the terminal device receiving a PDCCH; similarly, a terminal device sending data via a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) can also be described as the terminal device sending a PUSCH, or the network device receiving a PUSCH.

[0066] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, 5th Generation (5G) communication systems, satellite communication systems, Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) systems, and the solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems or other communication systems. This application does not limit these applications.

[0067] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the communication method provided in this application. Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting system architecture. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 100 includes a radio access network (RAN) 10 and a core network (CN) 20. Optionally, the communication system 100 also includes an Internet 30. The RAN 10 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 10 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). The terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to the RAN node 110. The RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the core network 20. The core network devices in the core network 20 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 10 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0068] RAN 10 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 4G, 5G mobile communication systems, or future-oriented evolution systems. RAN 10 can also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system. RAN 10 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0069] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, is part of the communication system and is used to help terminals achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in communication system 100 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j accessing RAN 10 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; but for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal. RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are sometimes both referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0070] In one possible scenario, a RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. A RAN node can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, a RAN node can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0071] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with each RAN node performing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0072] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0073] A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc.

[0074] In the embodiments of this application, the terminal and network device can be hardware devices, or software functions running on dedicated hardware, or software functions running on general-purpose hardware, such as virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., cloud platform), or entities that include dedicated or general-purpose hardware devices and software functions. This application does not limit the specific form of the terminal and network device.

[0075] Optionally, the communication system provided in this application embodiment also includes relay nodes to implement a single-hop or multi-hop relay system. See Figure 2. The relay can take the form of a small cell, an integrated access and backhauling (IAB) node, a DU, a terminal device, a transmitter and receiver point (TRP), etc.

[0076] To better understand the methods provided in the embodiments of this application, the terms involved in this application will be briefly explained below.

[0077] 1. Grant-based (GB) transmission: Also known as uplink transmission based on dynamic grant, it refers to the technology in which the terminal device performs dynamic grant, dynamic scheduling, or dynamic resource configuration based on the DCI issued by the network device, and performs uplink transmission based on the dynamically granted, dynamically scheduled, or dynamically configured resources.

[0078] 2. Grant-free transmission (GF): This refers to a technology where terminal devices can transmit uplink data without requiring network devices to issue DCIs for dynamic licensing, scheduling, or resource allocation. This application does not limit the naming of grant-free transmission; it can be called dynamic licensing-free transmission, unlicensed transmission, unlicensed spectrum transmission, or unlicensed transmission, etc.

[0079] Unlicensed transmission includes one or more of the following: transmission based on random access (RA), transmission using configured grant (CG) resources in 5G new radio systems, transmission based on preconfigured uplink resources (PUR) in LTE systems, transmission using semi-persistent scheduling resources in LTE systems, transmission based on semi-static channel state information (SP-CSI), SDT, or other technologies that transmit data without dynamic licensing. RA includes two-step random access (2-step RA) and four-step random access (4-step RA).

[0080] When a terminal device performs unlicensed transmission, it can transmit one or more of the following: PUSCH, physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), physical random access channel (PRACH), or physical layer signals (such as reference signals). The channels or signals transmitted in unlicensed transmission are related to the scenario or technology used. For example, unlicensed transmission based on two-step random access can transmit PRACH and / or PUSCH. Similarly, unlicensed transmission based on PUR, SPS, or CG can transmit PUSCH.

[0081] Unlicensed resources refer to resources agreed upon in the protocol or configured by the network device for terminal devices for unlicensed transmission. For example, unlicensed resources may include one or more of the following resources: time-domain resources, frequency-domain resources, spatial-domain resources, beam-domain resources, code-domain resources, sequence resources, and power-domain resources. Code-domain resources may include a signature for non-orthogonal multiple access. Sequence resources (also known as pilot resources) may include one or more of the following: demodulation reference signal (DMRS) sequences, preamble sequences, or sequences used by other reference signals (RS).

[0082] For example, unlicensed resources can be configured in one or more of the following ways: radio resource control (RRC) signaling, media access control (MAC) control element (CE), or DCI, etc. Among these, the DCI configuration of unlicensed resources can include semi-static or static configuration methods. Furthermore, when configuring unlicensed resources, the protocol or network device can also agree on or configure transmission parameters for unlicensed transmission. These transmission parameters can include one or more of the following: the period of the time-domain resource, open-loop power control related parameters, waveform, redundancy version sequence, repetition count, frequency hopping mode, resource allocation type, number of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes, DMRS related parameters, modulation and coding scheme table, resource block group (RBG) size, time-domain resources, frequency-domain resources, or modulation and coding scheme (MCS). It is understood that unlicensed resources can be periodic.

[0083] 3. GF Blind Detection Reception: Unlike dynamic scheduling, in the GF mechanism, the base station does not know whether the currently configured GF resource carries data sent by a terminal device. Therefore, the base station must first determine whether a target signal exists on the GF resource. In this determination process, the base station assumes that a terminal device is on the GF resource to send a signal under a certain transmission configuration, and then detects the received signal according to each transmission configuration. If any of the detected configurations meets a preset condition, the base station considers that a terminal device has used that configuration to send data on the GF resource, and performs subsequent reception processing on the data according to that configuration; if no configuration meets the preset condition, it is assumed that no terminal device has sent data, and the processing flow is interrupted.

[0084] 4. Small data transmission (SDT): Primarily used in communication systems such as cellular networks to efficiently transmit small amounts of data.

[0085] In 5G communication systems, to efficiently and flexibly support intermittent small data transmissions, an RRC inactive state (RRC_INACTIVE) is introduced to reduce overall signaling overhead through an efficient signaling mechanism. The RRC_INACTIVE state serves as an intermediate state for rapid connection recovery and mobility management, reducing latency and saving terminal power. To further support small data transmissions efficiently, the small data transmission mechanism (SDT) in the RRC_INACTIVE state allows the terminal device to directly initiate SDT without requiring radio link (RL) establishment or release operations. The resources used by the terminal device to initiate SDT can be configured and authorized based on a 4-step RACH (random access channel) / 2-step RACH and a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) Type 1.

[0086] In the New Radio (NR) protocol, a terminal in the RRC_INACTIVE state can initiate SDT under certain conditions, such as: 1) The amount of uplink data waiting to be transmitted on all radio bearers with SDT enabled must not exceed a data volume threshold, i.e., the data to be transmitted is "small data"; 2) The cell signal meets the condition, i.e., the RSRP measured by the terminal, such as the RSRP of the synchronization signal block (SSB), is higher than a threshold configured by the base station; 3) There are available effective resources for SDT transmission.

[0087] Once the above conditions are met, the SDT process can be initiated. SDT technology can be divided into CG-SDT or RA-SDT, which will be introduced below.

[0088] In CG-SDT, terminal devices use the resources configured for them by the network equipment to transmit small amounts of data. To better understand the CG-SDT process, Figure 3 shows a schematic flowchart of a CG-SDT process. The details are as follows:

[0089] S301, the network device sends a release message (such as an RRC release message).

[0090] Accordingly, the terminal device receives the release message.

[0091] For example, the network device triggers an RRC connection suspension on the terminal device. The terminal device receives an RRC release message, which includes a suspendConfig field indicating the data volume threshold, reference signal received power (RSRP), and configured grant (CG) configuration. The CG configuration includes CG-SDT resources (such as time-frequency resources and demodulation reference signal (DMRS)) for transmitting uplink data, parameters for determining the validity of CG-SDT resources, and parameters indicating the association between the SSB and CG configuration. After receiving the release message from the network device, the terminal device switches from the RRC connected state to the RRC inactive state.

[0092] It should be understood that in the release message in step S301, the network device specifies the association between the CG configuration and the SSB. The association between the CG configuration and the SSB can be one of the following:

[0093] (1) A CG configuration may be associated with one or more SSBs.

[0094] (2) The number of SSBs associated with different CG configurations may be different.

[0095] (3) There may be SSBs that are not associated with any CG configuration.

[0096] S302, the terminal device triggers the CG-SDT process and selects SSB.

[0097] It should be understood that when uplink data arrives, the terminal device determines whether the following conditions are met:

[0098] (1) The data volume is less than the data volume threshold (sdt-DataVolumeThreshold) set in the CG configuration.

[0099] (2) The RSRP of the downlink reference signal is higher than the RSRP threshold (cg-SDT-RSRP-ThresholdSSB) set in the CG configuration.

[0100] (3) CG-SDT resource validity. When using Type 1 configuration authorization resources for the initial PUSCH transmission and subsequent uplink transmissions, the terminal device determines whether the configuration authorization resources are valid to ensure successful data transmission. Type 1 configuration authorization sets relevant transmission parameters through RRC signaling, including the CG configuration index, time offset, time-frequency resource allocation, and period. After receiving the RRC configuration, the terminal device can use the configured resources for transmission, unlike Type 2 configuration authorization where the terminal device needs to activate through DCI before using the resources. When determining the validity of CG-SDT resources, the terminal device can use a mechanism combining timers and RSRP thresholds for verification. For example, timer-based verification of CG-SDT resource validity: a maintenance time alignment timer (cg-SDT-TimeAlignmentTimer) is introduced at the MAC layer. When the terminal receives the base station's configuration of this timer via RRC signaling, the timer is started. Before the timer expires, the terminal considers the CG-SDT uplink transmission as time-aligned with the base station and the configuration authorization resources as valid. When the terminal receives a timing advance (TA) adjustment command sent by the base station through the MAC layer, it restarts the timer. If the timer expires, the terminal considers the configured authorized resources invalid and releases them. The validity of CG-SDT resources is verified based on the RSRP threshold: the terminal performs time alignment verification based on RSRP. That is, compared with the previous uplink transmission, if the terminal measures a change in the RSRP value exceeding the RSRP threshold set by the base station, the configured authorized resources are also invalid.

[0101] It should be understood that when all the above conditions are met, the terminal device triggers the CG-SDT process, selects an SSB (such as SSB1) from the CG-SSBs whose SSB-RSRP is higher than the threshold, selects the CG-SDT resource associated with the SSB, sends the first uplink message of SDT on the PUSCH channel, and uses the CG-SDT resource for subsequent uplink transmission.

[0102] S303, the terminal device sends a recovery request message (such as CG RRC resume request).

[0103] Accordingly, the network device receives the recovery request message.

[0104] It should be understood that the terminal device uses the CG-SDT resources corresponding to the selected CG-SSB (such as SSB1) to send the recovery request message. Optionally, the terminal device may also send user data and / or non-access stratum (NAS) messages.

[0105] S304, the network device sends a recovery request message response (such as a CG response).

[0106] Accordingly, the terminal device receives a recovery request message response.

[0107] It should be understood that when the terminal device receives a recovery request message response from the network device, the terminal device completes the initial transmission of CG-SDT.

[0108] Optionally, S305, the network device sends control information, such as DCI.

[0109] Accordingly, the terminal device receives the control information.

[0110] Optionally, the network device dynamically configures uplink transmission resources for the terminal device via the DCI, and these resources are dynamically granted (DG) resources. Optionally, the DCI may carry the user's radio network temporary identifier (RNTI).

[0111] S306, terminal equipment and network equipment perform subsequent CG-SDT transmission.

[0112] It should be understood that after the initial transmission is completed by the terminal device and the network device, user data can continue to be transmitted between them; this process is the subsequent transmission of CG-SDT. Uplink transmission can utilize either CG-SDT resources or DG resources.

[0113] S307, the network device sends a release message (such as an RRC release message).

[0114] Accordingly, the terminal device receives the release message.

[0115] It should be understood that once all subsequent transmissions are completed, i.e., the transmission ends, the terminal device receives a release message sent by the network device. This release message can be used to terminate the current SDT process.

[0116] RA-SDT is based on either 4-step RA or 2-step RA. After triggering the SDT process, the terminal device sends an RRC recovery request message and small data to the network device via Msg3 in 4-step RA, or via MsgA in 2-step RA. The network device then dynamically configures uplink transmission resources for subsequent transmissions for the terminal device through DCI, and the network device and terminal device perform subsequent data interaction.

[0117] To more clearly illustrate the RA-SDT process, Figure 4 shows a schematic flowchart of a four-step RA-SDT process, the details of which are as follows:

[0118] S401, the terminal device triggers the RA-SDT process.

[0119] It should be understood that before the terminal device triggers the RA-SDT process, the network device indicates the random access resources used for RA-SDT in system information block 1 (SIB) 1, including PRACH time-frequency resources and preambles, as well as the search space for the terminal device to receive the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in subsequent RA-SDT transmissions. When the network device triggers RRC connection suspension, it sends an RRC release message to the terminal device, carrying a suspendConfig field that indicates the data volume threshold and RSRP threshold. When the terminal device has uplink data to be transmitted, the following conditions must be met for the terminal device to trigger the RA-SDT process:

[0120] (1) The data volume is less than the data volume threshold set in the RRC release message.

[0121] (2) The RSRP of the downlink reference signal is higher than the RSRP threshold set in the RRC release message.

[0122] (3) The RRC release message does not carry CG configuration or the CG resource is invalid.

[0123] When the above conditions are met, the terminal device triggers the RA-SDT process, for example, it can choose 4-step random access or 2-step random access.

[0124] S402, the terminal device sends a preamble, and the network device receives the preamble accordingly.

[0125] It should be understood that the terminal device sends a preamble to the network device via PRACH, that is, sends a message (Msg)1.

[0126] S403, the network device sends a random access response (RAR).

[0127] Accordingly, the terminal device receives the RAR sent by the network device.

[0128] Sending a RAR, also known as sending message 2 (Msg2), can indicate the resource location of the PUSCH. Optionally, the RAR can carry a temporary cell radio network temporary identifier (cell-RNTI, C-RNTI) for identification of the terminal device in subsequent steps.

[0129] S404, the terminal device sends message 3 (Msg3).

[0130] Accordingly, the network device receives message 3.

[0131] When the terminal device selects 4-step random access, message 3 carries an RRC resume request message, uplink user data, and / or NAS messages. Optionally, the terminal device sends message 3 according to the resource location of the PUSCH indicated by Msg2.

[0132] S405, the network device sends message 4.

[0133] Accordingly, the terminal device receives message 4 (Msg4).

[0134] When the terminal device receives message 4, it indicates that the terminal device has completed the initial transmission of RA-SDT.

[0135] S406, Network devices send DCI.

[0136] Accordingly, the terminal device receives DCI.

[0137] Prior to S406, terminal devices used temporary C-RNTIs as official C-RNTIs for identification in subsequent processes.

[0138] After the terminal device completes the initial transmission of RA-SDT, the network device can dynamically configure uplink and downlink resources for subsequent transmission for the terminal device identified by C-RNTI through DCI, namely CG resources or DG resources mentioned above.

[0139] S407, the terminal equipment and network equipment perform subsequent transmission of RA-SDT.

[0140] S408, the network device sends a release message (such as an RRC release message).

[0141] Accordingly, the terminal device receives the release message.

[0142] It should be understood that the terminal device terminates the SDT process upon receiving the release message sent by the network device.

[0143] In addition, Figure 5 shows a schematic flowchart of the two-step RA-SDT process, the details of which are as follows:

[0144] Unlike the 4-step RA-SDT process, when the terminal device meets the RA-SDT conditions and selects 2-step random access according to the random access procedure, the terminal device sends an RRC recovery request message, uplink user data, and / or NAS messages in Msg A. The initial transmission of the 2-step RA-SDT process is completed when the terminal device receives the Msg B message. The other steps are similar to the 4-step RA-SDT process and will not be described further here.

[0145] When the terminal device adopts a 2-step RA-SDT procedure, it sends the first uplink message of SDT in MsgA. After initiating a 2-step RA-SDT, if the terminal device receives a random access backoff indication in MsgB, or if MsgA is repeatedly sent more than a certain number of times, the terminal can backtrack from the 2-step RA-SDT to a 4-step RA-SDT procedure. When the terminal device adopts a 4-step RA-SDT procedure, it sends the first uplink message of SDT in Msg3.

[0146] In addition to RRC signaling (such as an RRC Resume Request message), the first uplink message in the SDT may also contain terminal application data, depending on the data size that the message can transmit. The purpose of the RRC signaling is to provide the base station with necessary information such as the terminal device's identifier, enabling the base station to configure the terminal's SDT process.

[0147] Once initiated, the SDT process will continue. The SDT process terminates when the network device notifies the terminal device to stop the SDT process via RRC signaling (such as an RRC Release message), or when the network device controls the terminal device to switch to the RRC_IDLE or RRC_CONNECTED state via RRC signaling. Additionally, the SDT process also terminates when the terminal device reselects to another cell or detects a failure in the SDT transmission process.

[0148] During the SDT process, the network device can switch the terminal device from the SDT process to a non-SDT process. For example, if the amount of data transmitted increases, the network device can use RRC signaling to switch the terminal device to the RRC_CONNECTED state, so that the terminal device can transmit data in the RRC_CONNECTED state.

[0149] As can be seen from the above analysis, the terminal device can remain in the RRC_INACTIVE state from the initiation of the SDT process to the termination of the SDT transmission, avoiding the repeated switching between the RRC_INACTIVE state and the RRC_CONNECTED state in R15 / R16, and also reducing the air interface signaling overhead of intermittent small data transmission.

[0150] 4. Wake-up signal (WUS): A wake-up signal used in communication networks, it can be divided into uplink WUS (UL-WUS) and downlink WUS (DL-WUS). DL WUS, often simply called WUS, is used to wake up terminal devices so they can resume data reception from sleep mode, saving power. The DL WUS signal is a short message, a special signal format, or a special signal waveform, typically sent by network devices in the communication network. When a terminal device receives the WUS signal, it resumes from sleep mode and begins receiving data. In NR systems, the WUS signal is very short, typically only a few milliseconds. This allows the terminal device to wake up quickly and begin receiving data, while conserving battery life. The counterpart to DL WUS is the UL WUS signal, which is used to wake up network devices (such as base stations) from sleep mode. When a terminal device has data to send to a base station, it first sends a UL WUS signal to wake up the target base station.

[0151] To further reduce power consumption, a low-power wake-up signal (LP WUS) was proposed, which enables the deployment of a low-power receiver and a main module on the terminal side. When the low-power receiver receives the wake-up signal, it wakes up the main module to conduct communication.

[0152] However, the SDT process shown in Figures 3-5 above is only applicable to a single SDT between the terminal device and the network device. Timer T319 is used for SDT state preservation. When the SDT process is triggered, T319 is activated. During the duration of T319 activation, the terminal device assumes the SDT state is valid and receives the SDT-associated PDCCH. The SDT-associated PDCCH refers to the PDCCH used for downlink feedback in the SDT, i.e., the PDCCH used to carry downlink feedback information. To save terminal device power consumption, downlink feedback in the SDT process uses a dedicated PDCCH configuration. The terminal device receives the configured PDCCH to determine the downlink transmission feedback of the SDT. The SDT-associated PDCCH can be a DCI sent by the network device via the PDCCH. This DCI can, for example, dynamically configure uplink transmission resources for the terminal device, such as DG resources. Optionally, this DCI can carry an RNTI, such as a C-RNTI or a cell-specific RNTI (CS-RNTI). After T319 is deactivated (or stopped), the SDT status becomes invalid or the SDT process ends. In this case, if there is still small amount of data to be transmitted, the SDT process needs to be restarted.

[0153] This application does not limit the scenarios for T319 deactivation. For example, if the terminal device receives an RRRCRelease signaling during the T319 activation period and considers the SDT process to be complete, then T319 is stopped; or if the terminal device does not receive SDT feedback or release signaling during the T319 activation period, then the terminal device considers the SDT transmission to have failed and stops T319.

[0154] In some scenarios, small data services may be triggered frequently in a short period, such as once every few seconds. When triggering is extremely frequent, there may be a correlation between consecutive SDT (Signal Transaction Transmission) processes. If this correlation between SDT processes is not considered (see examples in the following two scenarios for details), unnecessary signaling processes will be introduced, reducing transmission efficiency. Consider the following scenario as an example:

[0155] Scenario 1: A terminal device is near the cell and initiates CG-SDT transmission. Shortly after CG-SDT ends, for example, 5 seconds later, the terminal device in the same location initiates SDT again. Since the terminal device has not moved, SSB-RSRP remains unchanged, and the CG-SDT process is restarted, resulting in reduced transmission efficiency.

[0156] Scenario 2: A terminal device at a far point in the cell initiates RA-SDT transmission. Shortly after RA-SDT ends, for example, 5 seconds later, a terminal device at the same location initiates SDT again. Since SSB-RSRP still does not meet the conditions, the terminal device transmits again through the RA-SDT process. However, the TA value has not changed at this time, and sending a preamble for synchronization by the terminal device is meaningless. It wastes signaling resources and introduces additional latency.

[0157] It should be noted that the embodiments of this application are illustrated by taking the establishment of an RRC connection between a terminal device and a network device as an example, but this application does not limit it. Any connection established between a terminal device and a network device for controlling and / or managing wireless resources, or any connection that enables signaling / data interaction between a terminal device and a network device, is within the protection scope of this application.

[0158] Therefore, to address the issue of low transmission efficiency caused by the need to execute a CG-SDT or RA-SDT process for each SDT in multiple SDTs, this application introduces a new timer, namely the first timer described below. This first timer is used to determine whether the terminal device can perform the j-th SDT after the i-th SDT based on the i-th SDT, where i is a positive integer and j is an integer greater than i, without needing to execute the entire SDT process (such as CG-SDT or RA-SDT) again, thereby improving SDT transmission efficiency.

[0159] It should be understood that the embodiments of this application can be described based on the interaction between the first communication device and the second communication device. The first communication device may be a communication device (such as a terminal device or network device) or a component within a communication device, such as a chip, chip system, processor, etc., or it may be a logic module or software capable of implementing some or all of its functions; alternatively, the second communication device may be a communication device (such as a terminal device or network device) or a component within a communication device, such as a chip, chip system, processor, etc., or it may be a logic module or software capable of implementing some or all of its functions.

[0160] The methods provided in the embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0161] The method provided in this application embodiment may include the following two steps:

[0162] Step 1: The first communication device obtains configuration information, which is used to configure the first timer. The first timer is used to determine whether to perform the j-th SDT after the i-th SDT based on the i-th SDT.

[0163] Step 2: The first communication device acquires first information, which instructs the activation of the first timer.

[0164] Here, performing the j-th SDT based on the i-th SDT can be understood as the terminal device and the network device performing the j-th SDT based on the parameters from the i-th SDT. For example, the parameters that can be used in the j-th SDT are, but are not limited to, at least one of the following:

[0165] 1) Transmission resources, such as CG-SDT resources. For example, terminal devices and network devices can send information on the CG-SDT resources used in the i-th SDT to perform the j-th SDT, without having to execute at least some of the procedures in the CG-SDT (such as the initial transmission procedure in the CG-SDT process) or at least some of the procedures in RA-SDT (such as the initial transmission procedure in the RA-SDT process) in the aforementioned example again, thus saving signaling overhead and improving transmission efficiency.

[0166] 2) RRC connection configuration parameters: These include various configuration parameters required to restore the RRC connection, such as security parameters, radio resource configuration, power control parameters, measurement configuration, and quality of service (QoS) configuration. The RRC connection configuration parameters from the i-th SDT are used for the j-th SDT, allowing the terminal device and network device to maintain the SDT state from the i-th to the j-th SDT without needing to retrieve the RRC connection configuration parameters again. For example, when the terminal device and network device perform the j-th SDT, the terminal device does not need to send a recovery request message (such as an RRC recovery request message) for the j-th SDT to achieve the j-th SDT, saving signaling overhead and improving transmission efficiency.

[0167] 3) Transmission power control (TPC) information: Used to adjust the uplink transmission power of terminal devices. The terminal device and network device perform the j-th SDT based on the TPC used in the i-th SDT, eliminating the need for further TPC indication, thus saving signaling overhead and improving transmission efficiency.

[0168] Therefore, it can be seen that within the duration of the first timer constraint, it detects whether the j-th SDT is needed. Then, when the j-th SDT is needed, the j-th SDT is performed based on the i-th SDT. When multiple SDT transmissions occur in a close time period, signaling overhead is saved and transmission efficiency is improved.

[0169] For ease of description, the condition that the next SDT needs to be performed within the duration of the first timer constraint (such as the j-th SDT) is called satisfying the constraint of the first timer.

[0170] The i-th SDT can be any of the (j-1)-th SDTs preceding the j-th SDT. As a first example, the i-th SDT can be the (j-1)-th SDT, meaning that the j-th SDT is performed based on the (j-1)-th SDT when the first timer constraint is satisfied; as a second example, the i-th SDT can be the 1-th SDT, meaning that the j-th SDT is performed based on the 1-th SDT when the first timer constraint is satisfied.

[0171] Based on the first example above, optionally, after the first SDT, each SDT can be performed based on the previous SDT if the first timer constraint is satisfied. For example, if the first timer constraint is satisfied, the j-th SDT can be performed based on the (j-1)-th SDT, and so on.

[0172] Based on the second example above, optionally, after the first SDT, each SDT can be performed based on the first SDT if the first timer constraint is satisfied, such as performing the j-th SDT based on the first SDT when the first timer constraint is satisfied, and so on.

[0173] Of course, this application does not limit each SDT to be implemented based on the rules in the example above. For example, the j-th SDT can be performed based on the (j-2)-th SDT while satisfying the first timer constraint, and the (j+1)-th SDT can be performed based on the (j-1)-th SDT while satisfying the first timer constraint; or, for example, each SDT can be performed based on the second SDT while satisfying the first timer constraint; or, for example, the j-th SDT can be performed based on the (j-1)-th SDT while satisfying the first timer constraint, and from the (j+1)-th SDT onwards, all SDTs are performed based on the first SDT while satisfying the first timer constraint.

[0174] For example, the first communication device and the second communication device can determine whether to perform the j-th SDT based on the i-th SDT based on a first timer. For instance, if there is data to be transmitted within the duration constrained by the first timer, the first communication device and the second communication device can perform the j-th SDT based on the i-th SDT. Optionally, the first timer can be activated in response to the first information after each SDT is completed.

[0175] In step 1 above, the first communication device obtaining configuration information may mean that the first communication device receives configuration information from the second communication device, or the first communication device obtains configuration information from downlink information received from the second communication device; in step 2 above, the first communication device obtaining first information may mean that the first communication device receives first information from the second communication device, or the first communication device obtains first information from downlink information received from the second communication device.

[0176] Based on this, the first communication device obtaining configuration information can be understood as receiving configuration information, or obtaining configuration information can be understood as receiving downlink information and decoding the downlink information to obtain configuration information; similarly, the terminal device obtaining first information can be understood as receiving first information, or obtaining first information can be understood as receiving downlink information and decoding the downlink information to obtain configuration information. Optionally, the configuration information and the first information can be independent of each other, such as the configuration information and the first information being independently encapsulated downlink information, or the configuration information and the first information being carried in the same downlink information; this application does not limit this.

[0177] Optionally, the first timer may be preset, as agreed upon by the protocol. In this case, the first communication device can obtain the configuration information from the preset information.

[0178] For example, this application does not limit the transmission order of configuration information and first information. For instance, the second communication device may send configuration information first and then send the first information, and correspondingly, the first communication device may receive configuration information and first information in sequence; or, for another example, the second communication device may send configuration information and first information simultaneously.

[0179] For ease of explanation, the method provided in this application will be described below with reference to Figure 6, taking the first communication device as the terminal device and the second communication device as the network device as an example. The method involves the interaction between the network device and the terminal device, specifically the network device sending configuration information and first information to the terminal device. Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0180] The solutions in different embodiments of this application can be combined with each other without logical conflict.

[0181] It should be understood that this application does not limit the implementing entity. For example, the terminal device in Figure 6 can be replaced by components in the terminal device, such as chips, chip systems, processors, etc., or it can be replaced by logic modules or software that can implement some or all of its functions; the network device in Figure 6 can be replaced by components in the network device, such as chips, chip systems, processors, etc., or it can be replaced by logic modules or software that can implement some or all of its functions. This application does not limit this.

[0182] The method 600 shown in Figure 6 may include steps S610 and S620. The steps in method 600 are described in detail below.

[0183] S610: Network devices send configuration information to terminal devices.

[0184] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives configuration information from the network device.

[0185] S620, the network device sends first information to the terminal device, which instructs the activation of the first timer.

[0186] As previously mentioned, the configuration information is used to configure a first timer, which is used to determine whether to perform the j-th SDT based on the i-th SDT. Optionally, this configuration information can be called SDT configuration, and the first timer can be called, for example, an SDT inactive timer (SDT-InactiveTimer), but it should be understood that this application does not limit the naming.

[0187] The process of performing the j-th SDT based on the i-th SDT has already been explained in the previous example and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0188] In this embodiment, the j-th SDT transmission between the terminal device and the network device can be an uplink transmission. For example, when data arrives at the terminal device within the duration constrained by the first timer (i.e., there is data to be transmitted), the terminal device sends small data to the network device for the j-th SDT. However, it should be understood that this embodiment does not limit the transmission direction of each SDT transmission. For example, an SDT transmission can be an uplink transmission or a downlink transmission, or both uplink and downlink transmissions may occur during an SDT transmission, such as the terminal device sending uplink data to the network device and receiving downlink data from the network device.

[0189] Optionally, after the j-th SDT is completed, the terminal device and the network device can activate the first timer and determine whether to perform the (j+1)-th SDT based on the j-th SDT. The (j+1)-th SDT and subsequent SDTs can refer to the implementation method of the j-th SDT, which will not be elaborated further for the sake of simplicity.

[0190] For example, since it is necessary to determine whether to perform the j-th SDT based on the i-th SDT within the duration of the first timer constraint, the terminal device and the network device are still in the SDT state. Therefore, within the duration of the first timer constraint, the terminal device may not receive the PDCCH associated with the SDT, thereby saving signaling power consumption. The PDCCH associated with the SDT has been explained in the previous example and will not be repeated for the sake of brevity.

[0191] In this application embodiment, receiving (or not receiving) PDCCH can be described as monitoring (or not monitoring) PDCCH, or detecting (or not detecting) PDCCH, etc.; or receiving (or not receiving) PDCCH can be described as receiving (or not receiving) signaling transmitted through PDCCH. When the above expressions are used interchangeably, they express the same meaning.

[0192] The i-th SDT can be any SDT between the network device and the terminal device. For example, the terminal device can initiate the i-th SDT based on the CG-SDT process (as shown in Figure 3) or the RA-SDT process (the 4-step RA-SDT shown in Figure 4 or the 2-step RA-SDT shown in Figure 5) in the previous examples; or, the terminal device can perform the i-th SDT based on the (i-1)-th SDT, that is, the terminal device and the network device execute the i-th SDT based on the parameters of the (i-1)-th SDT, which has a similar implementation to the j-th SDT, and will not be described in detail for the sake of simplicity.

[0193] For example, the SDT resources used in the i-th SDT and the j-th SDT can be the same type of SDT resources (such as CG-SDT resources). For instance, if the i-th SDT is implemented based on CG-SDT, the terminal device uses the same CG-SDT resources as the i-th SDT during the j-th SDT. However, this application does not limit this; for example, the terminal device can use other pre-configured CG-SDT resources during the j-th SDT. The SDT resources used in the i-th SDT and the j-th SDT can also be of different types. For instance, if the i-th SDT is implemented based on RA-SDT, the terminal device can use pre-configured CG-SDT resources during the j-th SDT, thereby avoiding the re-execution of RA-SDT and solving the problem in scenario 2 above.

[0194] For example, the network device can send configuration information at any time before the j-th SDT. As a first example, the network device can send configuration information before the 1st SDT to configure the first timer; as a second example, the network device can send the configuration information at the end of the i-th SDT, for example, by sending an RRC release message carrying the configuration information at the end of the i-th SDT, thereby configuring the first timer; as a third example, the network device can send configuration information before the 1st SDT to initially configure the first timer, and then send an RRC release message carrying the configuration information at the end of the i-th SDT to update the configuration of the first timer.

[0195] For example, configuration information can be carried in the release message of S301 or S307 in the CG-SDT process shown in Figure 3, or in the control information of S305; or, configuration information can be carried in the release message of S408 shown in Figure 4, or in the RAR of S403, or in message 4 of S405, or in the control information of S406, etc.; or, configuration information can be carried in the release message of S506 shown in Figure 5, or in the MsgB of S503, or in the control information of S504, etc.

[0196] The aforementioned first information can indicate both the activation of the first timer and the end of the i-th SDT. Therefore, the terminal device activates the first timer in response to the received first information. That is, the terminal device activates the first timer after the i-th SDT ends, so that if the existence of the next SDT is detected within the duration constrained by the first timer, the terminal device can perform the j-th SDT based on the i-th SDT. Optionally, the first information can be a release message or carried in a release message, such as an RRC release message.

[0197] For example, the configuration information may include the duration of the first timer, that is, the duration of the first timer is configured through the configuration information. The terminal device can activate the first timer based on the duration configured by the network device, and determine whether the j-th SDT exists within the configured duration. Optionally, the duration of the first timer may be preset, for example, as agreed upon by the protocol.

[0198] In addition to the first timer configured based on the configuration information, the terminal device can also obtain information from the following possible examples:

[0199] Example 1: The terminal device can also obtain information indicating the activation conditions of the first timer. For example, it may indicate that the first timer is activated after receiving the first information. It should be noted that activating the first timer after receiving the first information can mean activating the first timer immediately after receiving the first information, or it can mean activating the first timer after receiving the first information after a preset interval. Another example is indicating that the first timer is activated at a preset time, and so on. This application does not limit the preset interval duration; for example, the preset duration could be 60ms.

[0200] The terminal device obtains information indicating the activation conditions of the first timer, either by receiving such information from the network device or by obtaining it from downlink information received from the network device. Optionally, the information indicating the activation conditions of the first timer may be contained within the aforementioned configuration information or first information, or it may be independent of the configuration information or first information; this application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0201] Optionally, the information indicating the activation condition of the first timer can be preset, such as as agreed by the protocol. Based on this, the terminal device can also obtain the information indicating the activation condition of the first timer from the preset information.

[0202] Example 2: The terminal device can also obtain information indicating the CG resources of the SDT. For example, the network device can configure CG resources for the SDT to the terminal device. The information indicating the CG resources of the SDT can be carried in the configuration information or the first information, or independent of the configuration information or the first information; or, for example, the information indicating the CG resources of the SDT can be preset, such as by agreement in the protocol. Based on this, the terminal device can obtain the information indicating the CG resources of the SDT from the preset information. This enables the terminal device to transmit small data based on the CG resources of the SDT.

[0203] It should be understood that the CG resources of SDT are CG resources used for SDT, and this application does not limit the number of CG resources of SDT indicated. If multiple CG resources of SDT are indicated, the terminal device can select the CG resource of the j-th SDT from the multiple indicated CG resources for small data transmission.

[0204] Example 3: The terminal device can also obtain an activation indication for the first timer. As an example, this activation indication for the first timer can indicate that the first timer is not activated if it is activated by default based on activation conditions. For example, the terminal device defaults to activating the first timer after obtaining the first information; however, if the activation indication for the first timer indicates that it is not activated, the terminal device will not activate the first timer after obtaining the first information. As another example, the activation indication for the first timer can indicate that the first timer is activated based on activation conditions if it is not activated by default. For example, the terminal device defaults to not activating the first timer after obtaining the first information; however, if the activation indication for the first timer indicates that it is activated, the terminal device can activate the first timer after obtaining the first information. The default information—whether the terminal device activates or does not activate the first timer after obtaining the first information—can be preset or pre-configured, and this application does not limit this.

[0205] The terminal device obtains the activation indication of the first timer by receiving an activation indication from the network device, or by obtaining the activation indication of the first timer from downlink information received from the network device. Optionally, the activation indication of the first timer may be carried within the aforementioned configuration information or first information, or the activation indication of the first timer may be independent of the configuration information or first information; this application does not limit this.

[0206] Example 4: The terminal device can also obtain information indicating a first threshold, which is used to determine the transmission resources during the j-th SDT. The first threshold can be a preset RSRP threshold. When the RSRP of the downlink reference signal measured by the terminal device is higher than the first threshold, the j-th SDT is performed using CG-SDT resources; when the RSRP of the downlink reference signal measured by the terminal device is lower than the first threshold, the j-th SDT is performed using RA-SDT resources.

[0207] The terminal device obtains the information indicating the first threshold, either by receiving the information from the network device or by obtaining the information from downlink information received from the network device. Optionally, the information indicating the first threshold may be carried within the aforementioned configuration information or first information, or the information indicating the first threshold may be independent of the configuration information or first information; this application does not limit this.

[0208] Optionally, the information indicating the first threshold can be preset, such as as agreed by the protocol. Based on this, the terminal device can also obtain the information indicating the first threshold from the preset information.

[0209] Optionally, the downlink reference signal may be, for example, an SSB. However, this application does not limit it to this; for example, the downlink reference signal may also be a cell-specific reference signal (CRS), a user-specific reference signal (URS), a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS), or a channel-state information reference signal (CSI-RS), etc.

[0210] To avoid excessive signaling overhead due to the use of RA-SDT resources in the j-th SDT, in some embodiments, the first threshold used to determine the transmission resources during the j-th SDT is lower than the second threshold. The second threshold is used to determine the transmission resources during the 1st SDT. The first and second thresholds are of the same type, for example, both being RSRP thresholds. The second threshold could be, for example, cg-SDT-RSRP-ThresholdSSB, and the first threshold could be, for example, cg-SDT-RSRP-ThresholdSSB2. This application does not limit the naming of the RSRP thresholds.

[0211] Optionally, the information indicating the first threshold may directly indicate the first threshold; or, the information indicating the first threshold may include the offset between the first threshold and the second threshold.

[0212] The indication information in Examples 1 to 4 above can be combined with each other. For example, the terminal device can obtain information indicating the activation condition of the first timer, information indicating the CG resources of the SDT, and information indicating the first threshold. In this case, the terminal device can activate the first timer in response to the indicated activation condition, and determine the CG-SDT resources used in the j-th SDT based on the indicated first threshold, and then determine the CG-SDT resources for the j-th SDT from the CG resources of the indicated SDT. Alternatively, the terminal device can obtain the activation indication of the first timer and information indicating the first threshold. In this case, the terminal device can activate the first timer in response to the activation indication, and determine the transmission resources used in the j-th SDT based on the first threshold, and then perform the j-th SDT. The indication information in Examples 1 to 4 can include more combinations, and all of them, without logical conflicts, belong to the implementation schemes protected by this application.

[0213] Some or all of the instruction information in Examples 1 to 4 above can be sent from the network device to the terminal device. The network device can send each instruction information to the terminal device separately, or the network device can encapsulate some or all of the instruction information in Examples 1 to 4 and send them together to the terminal device.

[0214] In this embodiment, the network device configures a first timer for the terminal device, and then the terminal device activates the first timer based on the indication of the first information, so that the terminal device and the network device can perform the j-th SDT based on the i-th SDT. When multiple SDT transmissions occur in a nearby time period, it is not necessary to implement the j-th SDT through signaling interaction, thereby saving signaling overhead and improving transmission efficiency.

[0215] Referring to Figure 7, and taking the interaction between the terminal device and the network device as an example, the communication scheme for multiple SDTs provided in this application will be described exemplarily for the process related to activating the first timer. S610 and S620 in Figure 7 have already been described in the embodiment shown in Figure 6, and will not be repeated for the sake of brevity.

[0216] In some embodiments, both the terminal device and the network device can run (or activate) the first timer, for example, by activating the first timer according to configured or protocol-defined activation conditions, or by activating the first timer at a configured or protocol-defined activation time. See S640 in Figure 7. After the terminal device receives the first information from the network device, both the terminal device and the network device activate the first timer.

[0217] For example, after activating the first timer, if the terminal device does not receive the PDCCH associated with SDT within the duration constrained by the first timer, it can be considered that the terminal device is in a sleep state within the duration constrained by the first timer. The network device may send the PDCCH associated with SDT or not send the PDCCH associated with SDT within the duration constrained by the first timer. This application does not limit this. The network device can save signaling overhead by not sending the PDCCH associated with SDT within the duration constrained by the first timer.

[0218] In some embodiments, the network device and the terminal device perform the i-th SDT within the duration constrained by the second timer. The second timer can be, for example, T319 in the aforementioned example. Based on this, before executing S640 to activate the first timer, the terminal device and the network device can respectively terminate the second timer. In one implementation, terminating the second timer also means ending the i-th SDT; in another implementation, the terminal device and the network device terminate the second timer when ending the i-th SDT. This application does not limit this. See S630 in Figure 7. For example, the terminal device terminates the second timer based on the received first information. The network device can terminate the second timer when sending the first information, or at the same time as the terminal device. This application does not limit this. Terminating the second timer can also be described as: stopping the second timer, deactivating the second timer, ending the second timer, etc. The description of the first timer in the following text can refer to the description of the second timer, and will not be repeated for the sake of brevity.

[0219] Referring to S650a in Figure 7, if there is data to be transmitted within the duration of the first timer constraint, the terminal device can activate the second timer. When the network device detects the m-th SDT data sent by the terminal device during the operation of the first timer, the second timer is activated, where i < m ≤ j. Taking the example that each SDT can be performed based on the previous SDT while satisfying the first timer constraint, the terminal device and the network device can perform the m-th SDT based on the (m-1)-th SDT within the duration of the second timer constraint.

[0220] Optionally, if data to be transmitted exists within the duration constrained by the first timer, the terminal device may terminate the first timer and activate the second timer. This application does not limit the order in which the first timer is terminated and the second timer is activated. It is understood that after activating the second timer, the terminal device and the network device can perform the j-th SDT within the duration constrained by the second timer. During the SDT process, the terminal device and the network device do not need to continue detecting the data to be transmitted, that is, the first timer can be terminated to save power consumption and avoid interference with the next activation of the first timer (i.e., detection of the j-th SDT).

[0221] Optionally, upon completion of the m-th SDT, the terminal device and the network device may respectively terminate the second timer and activate the first timer to determine whether a (m+1)-th SDT exists within the duration constrained by the first timer, and then perform the (m+1)-th SDT based on the m-th SDT. The duration of the first timer started after each SDT transmission can be the same or different, and this application does not limit this. It should be noted that activating the first timer upon completion of the j-th SDT, or restarting the first timer, means that the first timer restarts counting according to a preset duration, without continuing from the last time it stopped counting, and is unrelated to the duration when the first timer was terminated before the start of the j-th SDT process.

[0222] Referring to S650b in Figure 7, after the first timer expires, the j-th SDT is independent of the i-th SDT. If no data is to be transmitted until the first timer expires, the j-th SDT occurs after the first timer expires. In this case, the parameters of the j-th SDT are unrelated to the parameters of the i-th SDT; that is, the j-th SDT does not use the relevant parameters of the i-th SDT, or in other words, the j-th SDT is not based on the parameters of the i-th SDT. The parameters of the SDT have been explained in the previous examples and will not be repeated for the sake of brevity. It should be understood that parameter unrelatedness does not mean that the parameters of the two SDTs are different. Alternatively, the j-th SDT may not exist after the first timer expires.

[0223] It is understandable that S650a and S650b are executed selectively, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 7.

[0224] The following description, with reference to Figure 8, uses the interaction between a terminal device and a network device as an example to illustrate some possible implementation schemes after activating the first timer. S610 to S640 in Figure 8 can be found in the descriptions of the embodiments shown in Figure 6 or Figure 7 above, and will not be repeated for the sake of brevity.

[0225] In some embodiments, when the first timer is activated and has not timed out, there may be a need to extend the duration to match the requirements of SDT services with longer cycles. In this case, the network device and the terminal device can reactivate the first timer, causing the first timer to start counting again. For example, if the duration constrained by the first timer is a first duration, and the first timer has run for a second duration, after reactivating the first timer, the duration constrained by the first timer is extended to the first duration plus the second duration, thereby extending the waiting time for the j-th SDT, thus matching SDT services in more scenarios. Refer to the delay process in Figure 8, including S660 and S670. In S660, the network device sends third information to the terminal device, which indicates that the first timer should be reactivated; in S670, the terminal device and the network device respectively reactivate the first timer.

[0226] Optionally, the terminal device and network device can reactivate the first timer based on preset delay conditions. For example, the terminal device and network device can determine whether to reactivate the first timer based on the data volume / service type of SDT, channel quality, etc.

[0227] In some embodiments, if the first timer is activated and has not timed out, the terminal device and the network device may need to terminate the first timer. For example, if the network device determines that there is no j-th SDT, or if the network device determines that the current network quality is poor and the j-th SDT cannot be performed based on the i-th SDT, the network device may instruct the terminal device to terminate the first timer.

[0228] Refer to the termination process in Figure 8, including steps S680 and S690. In S680, the network device sends a second message to the terminal device, indicating the termination of the first timer. In S690, the j-th SDT between the terminal device and the network device is independent of the i-th SDT. It can be understood that the SDT state between the terminal device and the network device terminates after the first timer terminates. Therefore, if the j-th SDT is required, the parameters of the j-th SDT are unrelated to the parameters of the i-th SDT. For example, the terminal device can first send a recovery message (such as an RRC recovery message) to the network device to restart the SDT process.

[0229] As previously mentioned, since it is necessary to determine whether to perform the j-th SDT based on the i-th SDT within the duration of the first timer constraint, and the terminal device and network device are still in the SDT state, in some embodiments, the terminal device may not receive the SDT-associated PDCCH within the duration of the first timer constraint, thereby saving signaling power consumption. In this case, the network device can send a non-SDT-associated PDCCH to the terminal device to achieve downlink scheduling. If the network device needs to send the SDT-associated PDCCH to the terminal device, it can send a wake-up signal to the terminal device, such as WUS or LP-WUS in the aforementioned example. This wake-up signal is used to indicate that the SDT-associated PDCCH should be received within the duration of the first timer constraint.

[0230] Optionally, the wake-up signal can be configured by the network device to the terminal device. This wake-up signal can be a general WUS signal, i.e., independent of the first timer; or, the wake-up signal can be a WUS signal associated with the first timer, in which case the network device can configure the terminal device with the generation information of the WUS signal, including the time-frequency resource location, waveform, etc. When the terminal device detects the WUS signal from the network device based on the network device's configuration, it exits the sleep state and receives the PDCCH. Optionally, the duration for the terminal device to receive the PDCCH does not exceed the duration of the first timer; that is, when the first timer terminates or expires, the process of being woken up by the wake-up signal to receive the SDT-associated PDCCH also ends.

[0231] The embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to Figures 9 and 10, taking the first SDT and the second SDT between the terminal device and the network device as examples.

[0232] Referring to Figure 9, the method 900 includes the following steps S910 to S950:

[0233] S910: The network device sends an SDT configuration carrying the first timer to the terminal device.

[0234] The SDT configuration can be found in the configuration information in the previous example. For example, the SDT configuration can configure the first timer, such as the duration of the first timer.

[0235] Optionally, the SDT configuration can configure a first threshold, such as cg-SDT-RSRP-ThresholdSSB2.

[0236] Optionally, the SDT configuration can configure the activation conditions of the first timer and / or the CG resources of the SDT.

[0237] S920: The terminal device sends a recovery request to the network device.

[0238] When the terminal device initiates the first SDT, it activates a second timer (e.g., T319) and sends a recovery request (e.g., RRCResumeRequest). At this time, the terminal device uses a second threshold (e.g., cg-SDT-RSRP-ThresholdSSB) to determine whether the first SDT should use the CG-SDT or RA-SDT procedure, i.e., whether to use CG-SDT or RA-SDT resources for the first SDT.

[0239] S930: The network device sends a release message to the terminal device.

[0240] When the first SDT ends, the network device sends a release message, such as SDT RRCRelease, to the terminal device. Optionally, this release message carries a first threshold, which may be the same as or different from the first threshold carried in the SDT configuration in S910 described above; this application does not limit this. Optionally, the network device may modify the first threshold based on the first SDT; for example, if the network device determines that the first SDT has been completed, it may lower the value of the first threshold.

[0241] Based on the received release message, the terminal device terminates the second timer, such as T319, and activates the first timer.

[0242] Optionally, the terminal device may stop receiving the PDCCH associated with the SDT for a period of time constrained by the first timer.

[0243] The S940 sends data to network devices on CG-SDT resources.

[0244] If there is data to be transmitted and the first timer is activated but has not expired, the first timer terminates early and the second timer is activated (e.g., T319), and the terminal device initiates the second SDT. During the second SDT, the uplink information sent by the terminal device does not carry a recovery request (e.g., RRRCResumeRequest). The terminal device can determine whether to use the CG-SDT or RA-SDT procedure based on a first threshold, or in other words, determine whether to use CG-SDT resources or RA-SDT resources for the second SDT based on the first threshold.

[0245] S950: The network device sends a release message to the terminal device.

[0246] After the second SDT transmission ends, the network device sends a release message to the terminal device, such as SDT RRCRelease. The terminal device receives the release message at the end of the second SDT, which terminates the second timer, such as T319.

[0247] Optionally, the terminal device can reactivate the first timer, and then detect the third SDT based on the first timer, and so on. Optionally, the terminal device can stop receiving the PDCCH associated with the SDT within the duration constrained by the first timer.

[0248] Referring to Figure 10, the method 1000 includes steps S1010 to S1050. Steps S1010 to S1030 can be referred to as steps S910 to S930 in the embodiment shown in Figure 9 above, and will not be described again for the sake of brevity.

[0249] In the embodiment shown in Figure 10, after the first timer is activated, it does not terminate prematurely. The current SDT state will terminate only after the first timer expires. This means that the next SDT will no longer be based on the previous SDT, or it can be understood as the CG resources of the SDT (or the CG resources associated with the first timer) becoming invalid. Terminating the SDT state after the first timer expires can mean either immediately terminating the SDT state after the first timer expires, or terminating the SDT state after a preset time interval (e.g., 60ms) after the first timer expires.

[0250] In S1040, the terminal device sends a recovery request to the network device.

[0251] Understandably, if data arrives after the first timer expires, the terminal device will initiate a second SDT. In this case, the terminal device needs to send a recovery request, such as an RRCresumRequest, to the network device. This process is similar to S1020. The terminal device can determine whether to use CG-SDT or RA-SDT transmission, or in other words, to use CG-SDT resources or RA-SDT resources, based on a second threshold, such as cg-SDT-RSRP-ThresholdSSB.

[0252] Furthermore, the terminal device and the network device respectively activate the second timer to perform the second SDT.

[0253] In S1050, the network device sends a release message to the terminal device.

[0254] When the second SDT ends, the network device sends a release message to the terminal device, such as SDT RRCRelease. The terminal device can terminate the second timer based on the received release message, as in T319. Optionally, the terminal device and the network device can each activate a first timer, and then determine whether to perform a third SDT based on the second SDT within the time constraint of the first timer. And so on; for simplicity, further details are omitted.

[0255] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions between the various embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0256] The methods provided in the embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to several accompanying drawings. The apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0257] Figures 11 and 12 are schematic block diagrams of possible apparatuses provided in embodiments of this application. One apparatus provided in this application, as shown in Figure 11, includes a transceiver module 1110 and a processing module 1120.

[0258] One possible design is that the device 1100 is used to implement the function of the first communication device in the above method embodiment.

[0259] For example, the processing module 1120 is used to obtain configuration information, which is used to configure a first timer. The first timer is used to determine whether to perform the j-th SDT based on the i-th small data transmission SDT, where i is a positive integer. The processing module 1120 also obtains first information indicating that the first timer is activated. Optionally, the processing module 1120 obtains the configuration information through the transceiver module 1110, and optionally, the processing module 1120 obtains the first information through the transceiver module 1110.

[0260] Optionally, after acquiring the first information, the processing module 1120 is also used to activate the first timer.

[0261] Optionally, the processing module 1120 is further configured to: activate a second timer when there is data to be transmitted within the duration of the first timer constraint, and perform the j-th SDT based on the i-th SDT within the duration of the second timer constraint.

[0262] Optionally, the processing module 1120 is further configured to: terminate the first timer when there is data to be transmitted within the duration constrained by the first timer.

[0263] Optionally, the processing module 1120 is further configured to acquire information indicating a first threshold, the first threshold being used to determine the transmission resources at the j-th SDT.

[0264] Optionally, the first threshold is less than the second threshold, which is used to determine the transmission resources during the first SDT.

[0265] Optionally, the information indicating the first threshold includes the offset between the first threshold and the second threshold.

[0266] Optionally, after obtaining the first information, the processing module 1120 is further configured to: terminate the second timer, and perform the i-th SDT within the duration constrained by the second timer.

[0267] Optionally, the configuration information includes the duration of the first timer.

[0268] Optionally, the processing module 1120 is also configured to perform at least one of the following:

[0269] Get the activation indication of the first timer; or,

[0270] Obtain information indicating the activation conditions of the first timer; or,

[0271] Obtain information about the CG resources that are directed to SDT.

[0272] Optionally, the processing module 1120 is also configured to: after the first timer expires, the j-th SDT is independent of the i-th SDT.

[0273] Optionally, the processing module 1120 is further configured to: obtain second information, the second information indicating the termination of the first timer, wherein, after the termination of the first timer, the j-th SDT is independent of the i-th SDT.

[0274] Optionally, the processing module 1120 is also used to obtain third information, which indicates that the activated first timer should be reactivated.

[0275] Optionally, the PDCCH associated with the SDT may not be received during the duration of the first timer constraint.

[0276] Optionally, the transceiver module 1110 is also configured to receive a wake-up signal, which indicates that the PDCCH associated with the SDT will be received within the duration of the first timer constraint.

[0277] Optionally, when performing the j-th SDT based on the i-th SDT, the parameters used in the j-th SDT are the same as those used in the i-th SDT; wherein, the parameters of the i-th SDT include at least one of the following: data volume threshold; third threshold, which is used to determine the transmission resources in the i-th SDT; maximum duration of the authorization timing; or, transmission resources.

[0278] One possible design is that the device 1100 is used to implement the function of the second communication device in the above method embodiment.

[0279] For example, the processing module 1120 is used to generate configuration information, which is used to configure a first timer. The first timer is used to determine whether to perform the j-th SDT based on the i-th SDT, where i is a positive integer. The transceiver module 1110 is used to send the configuration information. The transceiver module 1110 is also used to send first information, which indicates the activation of the first timer.

[0280] Optionally, after sending the first information, the processing module 1120 is also used to activate the first timer.

[0281] Optionally, the processing module 1120 is further configured to: activate a second timer when there is data to be transmitted within the duration of the first timer constraint, and perform the j-th SDT based on the i-th SDT within the duration of the second timer constraint.

[0282] Optionally, the processing module 1120 is further configured to: terminate the first timer when there is data to be transmitted within the duration constrained by the first timer.

[0283] Optionally, the transceiver module 1110 is also used to send information indicating a first threshold, which is used to determine the transmission resources at the j-th SDT.

[0284] Optionally, the first threshold is less than the second threshold, which is used to determine the transmission resources during the first SDT.

[0285] Optionally, the information indicating the first threshold includes the offset between the first threshold and the second threshold.

[0286] Optionally, after sending the first information, the processing module 1120 is also used to terminate the second timer, and the j-th SDT is performed within the duration constrained by the second timer.

[0287] Optionally, the configuration information includes the duration of the first timer.

[0288] Optionally, the transceiver module 1110 is also configured to perform at least one of the following:

[0289] Send the activation indication for the first timer;

[0290] Send information indicating the trigger conditions for the first timer;

[0291] Send information indicating the CG resources of SDT.

[0292] Optionally, the transceiver module 1110 is also configured to: after the first timer expires, the j-th SDT is independent of the i-th SDT.

[0293] Optionally, the transceiver module 1110 is further configured to send a second message indicating the termination of the first timer, wherein, after the termination of the first timer, the j-th SDT is independent of the i-th SDT.

[0294] Optionally, the transceiver module 1110 is also used to send a third message, which indicates that the activated first timer should be reactivated.

[0295] Optionally, the transceiver module 1110 is also used to send a wake-up signal, which indicates that the PDCCH associated with the SDT will be received within the duration of the first timer constraint.

[0296] Optionally, in the above possible designs, the communication device may also include a storage module, which can store data / code, and the processing module 1120 and / or the transceiver module 1110 can interact with the storage module.

[0297] Optionally, the processing module 1120 may be a processor or controller, such as a CPU, general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, transistor logic device, hardware component, or any combination thereof. It may implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor may also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, etc. The transceiver module 1110 is a transceiver, interface circuit, bus, pin, or other possible communication interface for receiving signals from other devices. For example, when the device is implemented as a chip, the transceiver module 1110 is an interface circuit for the chip to receive signals from other chips or devices, or an interface circuit for the chip to send signals to other chips or devices.

[0298] It is understood that the division of units in the above-described device is merely a logical functional division. Each function can correspond to a functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional unit. In actual implementation, all or some units can be integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be distributed across different physical entities. Furthermore, the aforementioned functional units can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. Whether a function is executed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0299] Figure 12 is another schematic block diagram of the device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 12, the device 1200 includes one or more processors 1210. The processor 1210 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor, etc. For example, it may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control the device (e.g., a vehicle or a chip), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0300] Optionally, in one design, processor 1210 may include a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that can be executed on processor 1210, causing device 1200 to perform the methods performed by the first or second communication device in the above method embodiments. In yet another possible design, device 1200 includes circuitry (not shown in FIG12) for implementing the functions of the first or second communication device in the above method embodiments.

[0301] For example, processor 1210 may be used to execute a computer program in memory to implement the steps performed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the method embodiment.

[0302] Optionally, the device 1200 may include one or more memories 1220 storing computer programs (sometimes referred to as code or instructions) that can be run on the processor 1210, causing the device 1200 to perform the methods executed by the first or second communication device in the above embodiments.

[0303] Optionally, the processor 1210 and / or memory 1220 may also store data. The processor and memory may be configured separately or integrated together.

[0304] Optionally, the device 1200 may further include a communication interface 1230. The processor 1210, sometimes referred to as a processing unit, controls the device (e.g., the first communication device or the second communication device). The communication interface 1230, sometimes referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver, is used to implement the transceiver function of the device; for example, the communication interface 1230 can be used to receive first configuration information.

[0305] Optionally, the device 1200 also includes a communication interface 1230. The processor 1210 and the communication interface 1230 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the communication interface 1230 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0306] When the device 1200 is used to implement the above method embodiments, the processor 1210 can be used to execute the functions of the processing unit 1120, and the communication interface 1230 can be used to execute the functions of the transceiver unit 1110. Whether the communication interface 1230 is used for sending or receiving depends on whether the device 1200 is used to perform a sending or receiving action in the scheme it is executing.

[0307] When the aforementioned device 1200 is a chip applied to a terminal, the chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiments. The terminal's chip receives signals from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the terminal, and these signals may be sent to the terminal by network devices; or, the terminal's chip sends signals to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the terminal, and these signals may be sent to network devices by the terminal.

[0308] When the aforementioned device 1200 is a chip applied to a network device, the chip implements the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The chip of the network device receives signals from other modules in the network device, which may be signals sent by a terminal to the network device; or, the chip of the network device sends signals to other modules in the network device, which may be signals sent by the network device to a terminal.

[0309] It is understood that when the device 1200 is a first communication device or a second communication device, the communication interface 1230 can be a transceiver, specifically including a transmitter and a receiver, with the transmitter used to send signals and the receiver used to receive signals. When the device 1200 is a chip applied to the first communication device or the second communication device, the communication interface 1230 can be an input / output circuit, wherein the input circuit can be used for receiving and the output interface can be used for sending.

[0310] Optionally, the device 1200 also includes a power supply circuit for supplying power to the device 1200.

[0311] The above-described method embodiments can be applied to a processor, or implemented by a processor. A processor may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed through integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or through software instructions.

[0312] The aforementioned processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0313] The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can reside in mature storage media in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0314] The memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0315] This application also provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting the implementation of the functions of the first or second communication device involved in any of the above method embodiments, such as sending, receiving, or processing information involved in the above methods.

[0316] In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory for storing computer program instructions and data, which may be located inside or outside the processor.

[0317] The chip system can consist of chips or include chips and other discrete components.

[0318] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), wherein when the computer program is run, the method executed by the first communication device in the above method embodiments is executed, or the method executed by the second communication device is executed.

[0319] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions). When the computer program is run, the method executed by the first communication device or the method executed by the second communication device in the above method embodiments is executed.

[0320] This application also provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned first communication device and second communication device.

[0321] The methods provided in the above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, they can be implemented, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. This computer program product may include one or more computer instructions. When these computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic disk), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0322] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0323] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0324] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0325] The unit described as a separate component may or may not be physically separate. The component shown as a unit may or may not be a physical unit; that is, it may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0326] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0327] If this function is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, or part of it, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory, random access memory, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0328] 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.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a first communication device, comprising: Obtain configuration information, which is used to configure a first timer. The first timer is used to determine whether to perform the j-th SDT after the i-th SDT based on the i-th small data transmission SDT, where i is a positive integer and j is an integer greater than i. Obtain first information, which indicates that the first timer should be activated.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, After obtaining the first information, the method further includes: Activate the first timer.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Also includes: If there is data to be transmitted within the duration of the first timer constraint, the second timer is activated, and within the duration of the second timer constraint, the j-th SDT is performed based on the i-th SDT.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, Also includes: Obtain information indicating a first threshold, which is used to determine the transmission resources during the j-th SDT.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first threshold is less than the second threshold, which is used to determine the transmission resources during the first SDT.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The information indicating the first threshold includes the offset between the first threshold and the second threshold.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, After obtaining the first information, the method further includes: Terminate the second timer, wherein the i-th SDT is performed within the duration constrained by the second timer.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The configuration information includes the duration of the first timer.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, It also includes at least one of the following: Obtain the activation indication of the first timer; or, Obtain information indicating the activation conditions of the first timer; or, Obtain information indicating the configuration authorization of CG resources by the SDT.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, Also includes: After the first timer expires, the j-th SDT is independent of the i-th SDT.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, Also includes: Obtain second information, which indicates the termination of the first timer, wherein, after the termination of the first timer, the j-th SDT is independent of the i-th SDT.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, Also includes: Obtain third information, which indicates that the activated first timer should be reactivated.

13. The method according to claim 1 or 12, characterized in that, During the duration of the first timer constraint, the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) associated with the SDT is not received.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that, Also includes: Receive a wake-up signal, which indicates that the PDCCH associated with SDT shall be received within the duration of the first timer constraint.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that, When performing the j-th SDT based on the i-th SDT, the parameters used in the j-th SDT are the same as those used in the i-th SDT.

16. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a second communication device, including: Send configuration information, which is used to configure a first timer. The first timer is used to determine whether to perform the j-th SDT after the i-th SDT based on the i-th SDT, where i is a positive integer and j is an integer greater than i. Send a first message, which instructs the activation of the first timer.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, After sending the first information, the method further includes: Activate the first timer.

18. The method according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that, Also includes: Send information indicating a first threshold, which is used to determine the transmission resources during the j-th SDT.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The first threshold is less than the second threshold, which is used to determine the transmission resources during the first SDT.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The information indicating the first threshold includes the offset between the first threshold and the second threshold.

21. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 20, characterized in that, The configuration information includes the duration of the first timer.

22. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 21, characterized in that, It also includes at least one of the following: Send the activation indication of the first timer; Send information indicating the trigger conditions of the first timer; Send information indicating the CG resources of SDT.

23. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 22, characterized in that, Also includes: After the first timer expires, the j-th SDT is independent of the i-th SDT.

24. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 23, characterized in that, Also includes: Send a second message indicating that the first timer is terminated, wherein after the first timer is terminated, the j-th SDT is independent of the i-th SDT.

25. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 24, characterized in that, Also includes: A third message is sent, which instructs the reactivation of the first timer that has been activated.

26. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 25, characterized in that, Also includes: Send a wake-up signal, which indicates that the PDCCH associated with the SDT shall be received within the duration of the first timer constraint.

27. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 26.

28. A communication system, characterized in that, include: A communication device for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 15, and a communication device for performing the method as described in any one of claims 16 to 26.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, Used to store computer program instructions, the computer program causing a computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 26.

30. A computer program product, characterized in that, It includes computer program instructions that cause a computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 26.

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