Paging configuration method, small data transmission method, apparatuses, devices, and medium

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of mobile communications, and discloses a paging configuration method, a small data transmission method, apparatuses, devices, and a medium. The method comprises: receiving a paging configuration, the paging configuration being associated with at least one receiving state of a terminal device. The present application improves paging message transmission reliability, and reduces power consumption of terminal devices receiving paging messages.

Description

Paging configuration methods, small data transmission methods, devices, equipment and media Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of mobile communication technology, and in particular to a paging configuration method, a small data transmission method, apparatus, device and medium. Background Technology

[0002] In 5G systems, network devices can efficiently manage and schedule paging messages to ensure that terminal devices can receive notifications from network devices in a timely manner when needed.

[0003] With the continuous evolution of mobile communication technology, the paging process of terminal devices still needs further discussion and research. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a paging configuration method, a small data transmission method, an apparatus, a device, and a medium. The technical solution is as follows:

[0005] According to one aspect of this application, a paging configuration method is provided, the method being performed by a terminal device that supports at least two receiving states, the method comprising:

[0006] Receive paging configuration, the paging configuration being associated with at least one receiving state of the terminal device.

[0007] According to another aspect of this application, a method for transmitting small amounts of data is provided, the method being executed by a terminal device, the method comprising:

[0008] Receive paging messages, and / or receive the first message sent during a paging occasion (PO);

[0009] The paging message is used to carry the small data, and the first information is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the small data.

[0010] According to another aspect of this application, a paging configuration method is provided, the method being performed by a network device, the method comprising:

[0011] Send a paging configuration to a terminal device, the paging configuration being associated with at least one receiving state of the terminal device;

[0012] The terminal device supports at least two receiving states.

[0013] According to another aspect of this application, a method for transmitting small amounts of data is provided, the method being performed by a network device, the method comprising:

[0014] Send a paging message to the terminal device, and / or send first information to the terminal device in the PO;

[0015] The paging message is used to carry the small data, and the first information is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the small data.

[0016] According to another aspect of this application, a terminal device is provided that supports at least two receiving states, the terminal device comprising:

[0017] A receiving module is configured to receive a paging configuration associated with at least one receiving state of the terminal device.

[0018] According to another aspect of this application, a terminal device is provided, the terminal device comprising:

[0019] The receiving module is used to receive paging messages and / or receive the first information sent in the PO;

[0020] The paging message is used to carry the small data, and the first information is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the small data.

[0021] According to another aspect of this application, a network device is provided, the network device comprising:

[0022] A sending module is used to send a paging configuration to a terminal device, wherein the paging configuration is associated with at least one receiving state of the terminal device;

[0023] The terminal device supports at least two receiving states.

[0024] According to another aspect of this application, a network device is provided, the network device comprising:

[0025] The sending module is used to send a paging message to the terminal device and / or send first information to the terminal device in the PO;

[0026] The paging message is used to carry small data, and the first information is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the small data.

[0027] According to another aspect of this application, a terminal device is provided, the terminal device comprising: a processor; a transceiver connected to the processor; wherein the transceiver is configured to receive a paging configuration associated with at least one receiving state of the terminal device, and the terminal device supports at least two receiving states.

[0028] According to another aspect of this application, a terminal device is provided, the terminal device comprising: a processor; a transceiver connected to the processor; wherein the transceiver is configured to receive a paging message and / or receive first information transmitted in a PO; wherein the paging message is configured to carry the small data, and the first information is configured to instruct the terminal device to receive the small data.

[0029] According to another aspect of this application, a network device is provided, the network device comprising: a processor; a transceiver connected to the processor; wherein the transceiver is configured to send a paging configuration to a terminal device, the paging configuration being associated with at least one receiving state of the terminal device; wherein the terminal device supports at least two receiving states.

[0030] According to another aspect of this application, a network device is provided, the network device comprising: a processor; a transceiver connected to the processor; wherein the transceiver is configured to send a paging message to a terminal device, and / or send first information to the terminal device in a POP; wherein the paging message is configured to carry small data, and the first information is configured to instruct the terminal device to receive the small data.

[0031] According to another aspect of this application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein a computer program is stored in the computer program, which is executed by a processor to implement the above-described paging configuration method and / or small data transmission method.

[0032] According to another aspect of this application, a chip is provided, the chip including programmable logic circuitry and / or program instructions, which, when the chip is operated on a communication device, is configured to receive a paging configuration associated with at least one receiving state of the communication device, the communication device supporting at least two receiving states.

[0033] According to another aspect of this application, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product including computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium; a processor of a communication device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium and executes the computer instructions, causing the communication device to implement the above-described paging configuration method and / or small data transmission method.

[0034] According to another aspect of this application, a computer program is provided, which is executed by a processor of a communication device to implement the above-described paging configuration method and / or small data transmission method.

[0035] The technical solutions provided in this application have at least the following beneficial effects:

[0036] By enabling terminal devices supporting at least two reception states to receive paging configurations associated with at least one reception state, the terminal devices can receive paging messages based on only one reception state, and / or based on multiple reception states. This allows for providing paging configurations to terminal devices based on their reception states. Targeted paging configurations help improve the reliability of paging message transmission and reduce the power consumption of the terminal device when receiving paging messages. Attached Figure Description

[0037] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0038] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an SSB structure provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0039] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an SSB cluster set provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0040] Figure 3 is a time-domain schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of this application of the SSB;

[0041] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the system architecture of a communication system provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 5 is a flowchart of a paging configuration method provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of SSB and CORESET#0 provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a PO provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 8 is a flowchart of a small data transmission method provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of downlink transmission provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of downlink transmission provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of downlink transmission provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 12 is a flowchart of a paging configuration method provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 13 is a flowchart of a small data transmission method provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 14 is a flowchart of a paging configuration method provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 15 is a flowchart of a small data transmission method provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 16 is a block diagram of a terminal device provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 17 is a block diagram of a terminal device provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0055] Figure 18 is a block diagram of a network device provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 19 is a block diagram of a network device provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0058] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the embodiments of this application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail here, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the appended claims. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without inventive effort in relation to the embodiments of this application are within the scope of protection of this application. The terminology used in this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit this disclosure. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” used in this disclosure and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items. It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used in this disclosure to describe various information, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, without departing from the scope of this disclosure, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Depending on the context, the word “if” as used herein may be interpreted as “when”, “when”, or “in response to determination”.

[0059] The technical solutions described in some embodiments of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) system, Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, Advanced Long Term Evolution (LTE-A) system, New Radio (NR) system, evolution of NR system, LTE-based access to unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U) system, NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) system, Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) system, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) system, and Wireless Fidelity (WCDMA) system. It can be used with Fidelity (WiFi) systems, 5th generation mobile communication technology (5G) systems, cellular IoT systems, cellular passive IoT systems, and can also be used with subsequent evolution systems of 5G NR systems, as well as 6th generation mobile communication technology (6G) systems and subsequent evolution systems.

[0060] It should be understood that in some embodiments of this application, "5G" may also be referred to as "5G NR" or "NR".

[0061] It should be understood that in the description of the embodiments of this application, the term "correspondence" may indicate that there is a direct or indirect correspondence between the two, or that there is an association between the two, or that there is a relationship of instruction and being instructed, configuration and being configured, etc.

[0062] The initial access process will be introduced as follows:

[0063] In the NR system, the initial access process for terminal devices can be roughly divided into the following steps.

[0064] The first stage involves measuring and acquiring system information. After powering on, the terminal device searches for downlink synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) in the network (NW). For the terminal device, measuring and selecting the optimal SSB serves to obtain downlink time synchronization, determine the uplink transmission beam direction, and decode the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) within the SSB. The PBCH carries the higher-layer Master Information Block (MIB). The MIB contains scheduling information for the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) that carries System Information Block (SIB) 1.

[0065] The terminal device scans and measures the SSBs transmitted from the base station, and selects the optimal SSB for access by evaluating signal quality (such as L1-reference signal receiving power (RSRP)). For example, Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an SSB structure provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the SSB includes a Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS), a Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS), a PBCH, and a PBCH Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS). The SSB can indicate the Cell Identity Document (ID) (1008 types), support the terminal device in achieving time-frequency synchronization, obtain MIB information, assist in cell search, and be used for Radio Resource Management (RRM) / Radio Link Monitoring (RLM) measurements, etc.

[0066] In 5G, coverage requirements are met by introducing a beam sweeping mechanism, essentially trading time for space. To this end, 5G periodically transmits SSBs in the time domain in the form of SSB clusters / SSB burst sets. Each SSB cluster set contains multiple SSBs, all concentrated within a 5ms range. Different SSBs may have different beam directions, thus achieving coverage in different directions. For example, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an SSB cluster set provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 2, the SSB cluster set is transmitted at a period of 20ms. Each SSB cluster set contains 8 SSBs, corresponding to indices #0 to #7. Different SSBs target different beam directions, thereby ensuring that terminal devices in different directions can receive SSBs with a sufficiently high RSRP.

[0067] The period of the SSB cluster set ranges from {5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160} ms, and this period can be configured via higher-layer signaling. However, for terminal devices performing initial cell search, they cannot receive higher-layer signaling regarding the transmission period of the SSB cluster set before searching for SSBs; therefore, a default period needs to be defined. In the NR system, the default period for terminal devices performing initial cell search is defined as 20 ms. When the terminal device receives relevant higher-layer signaling containing SSB cluster set period information, it can determine the SSB cluster set period using this information; otherwise, the terminal device defaults to a period of 5 ms for the SSB cluster set of the serving cell.

[0068] Within each SSB cluster set period, all SSBs are transmitted within a half-frame (5ms). Within Frequency Range 1 (FR1), a maximum of four time slots contain SSBs within a half-frame. For example, Figure 3 is a time-domain schematic diagram of an SSB provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. Depending on the subcarrier spacing (SCS) and the transmission capability of the SSB, the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol containing the SSB also differs, as shown in Figure 3.

[0069] After selecting the optimal SSB, the terminal device can decode the PBCH to obtain the MIB information. Based on the configuration information in the MIB and the system information transmission method determined in the protocol, the terminal device blindly detects the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) of the scheduling system information from the Control Resource Set (CORESET) #0 and the Search Space #0. It then decodes the PDSCH carrying SIB1 from the PDCCH, thereby obtaining the configuration information of the Random Access Channel (RACH) in SIB1.

[0070] Next is the RACH phase. Within a Random Access Occasion (RO), the terminal device transmits a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH). The terminal device determines the RO to use based on the index of the selected SSB and the association between the SSB and the RO. NR supports a four-step RACH process, as well as a two-step RACH process (divided into Step A and Step B). The following description uses the four-step RACH process as an example.

[0071] Step 1: Send the random access preamble (via message 1 (Msg.1)).

[0072] The terminal device selects a random access preamble and sends it to a base station (i.e., a Transmission Reception Point, TRP) on PRACH.

[0073] Step 2: Random Access Response (RAR) (sent via message 2 (Msg.2)).

[0074] After receiving the preamble, the base station sends the RAR, which includes Timing Advance (TA), Uplink Resource Grant (UL grant), and Cell-Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI).

[0075] Step 3: Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection request (sent via message 3 (Msg.3)).

[0076] The terminal device uses the uplink resources allocated in the RAR to send an RRC Setup Request message, which contains the terminal device's identifier and the reason for setup. This step is part of a contention-based random access procedure.

[0077] Step 4: RRC connection setup (sent via message 4 (Msg.4)).

[0078] After receiving an RRC connection request, the base station sends an RRC Setup message to confirm the connection request and allocate necessary resources. This message marks the completion of the initial access process.

[0079] An introduction to paging:

[0080] 1. Scheduling of paging messages.

[0081] Paging messages are scheduled by Downlink Control Information (DCI) carried by the NR PDCCH and transmitted through the Paging Channel (PCH) carried by the NR PDSCH. Specifically, the base station (gNB) schedules paging messages on the PDSCH by sending DCI via the PDCCH during specific paging occasions (PO) and within paging frames. The PDCCH that schedules paging messages is sent within the Type 2-PDCCH Common Search Space (CSS) set configured by the pagingSearchSpace parameter. This search space can be associated with CORESET#0 or other CORESETs.

[0082] 2. Regarding paging occasion (PO).

[0083] PO is the time window during which a terminal device listens for PDCCH to receive paging messages in Discontinuous Reception (DRX) mode. These timings are determined by the terminal device's identifier (such as International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) or 5G System Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (5G-S-TMSI)) and the DRX cycle.

[0084] A paging frame is a time window within which a base station schedules paging messages for all terminal devices. Each paging frame contains multiple Page Objects (POs).

[0085] 3. Triggering mechanism for paging messages.

[0086] • Downlink data arrival: When the core network detects that there is downlink data that needs to be transmitted to a terminal device in the RRC idle (IDLE) state or the RRC inactive (INACTIVE) state, it will trigger paging.

[0087] • Uplink communication request: When a terminal device initiates a service request, the network may use paging to notify the relevant resource allocation.

[0088] • Mobility management: Mobility management events such as Tracking Area Update (TAU) can also trigger paging.

[0089] • Scheduled paging: The network actively triggers paging at specific intervals to maintain synchronization with terminal devices.

[0090] • Broadcast service: For users receiving broadcast services, paging is used to remind them to obtain relevant content.

[0091] 4. Regarding the content of the paging message.

[0092] • Paging Identity: Used to identify the target terminal device, usually 5G-S-TMSI (temporary identifier) ​​or IMSI (permanent identifier).

[0093] • Tracking Area Identity (TAI): Contains the identifier of the tracking area where the terminal device is located, helping the base station determine the specific paging location.

[0094] • Paging Cause: Indicates the reason for paging, which may be due to downlink data, mobility events, or emergencies.

[0095] 5. Regarding the paging process.

[0096] (1) The terminal device is in RRC idle state:

[0097] The terminal device does not continuously monitor the control channel, but instead relies on paging messages from the base station to determine if there is downlink data or other events requiring a response. The terminal device periodically enters DRX mode to reduce power consumption.

[0098] (2) Core network triggers paging:

[0099] When there is downlink data, network handover, or other events requiring a response from the terminal device, the core network (Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF)) triggers paging. The AMF determines the location and related information of the target terminal device based on the terminal device's identifier (IMSI or 5G-S-TMSI) and location (TAI).

[0100] (3) The terminal device receives the paging message:

[0101] The terminal device obtains paging-related configurations by receiving broadcast messages from the cell. Before receiving the broadcast messages, the terminal device may need to receive SSB and MIB messages sent by the cell. Afterward, the terminal device monitors the PDCCH on the corresponding PO and receives the paging message. The terminal device then checks the content of the paging message to determine if it is a paging message addressed to itself.

[0102] (4) The terminal device responds to the paging message:

[0103] If the terminal device receives the correct paging message, it will send a request to the base station (gNB) via an RRC Connection Request or an RRC Connection Resume Request to indicate that a connection needs to be established or restored.

[0104] Through the above mechanism, the 5G network can efficiently manage and schedule paging messages, ensuring that terminal devices can receive notifications from the network in a timely manner when needed.

[0105] In summary, in 5G systems, base stations do not differentiate significantly between the receiving capabilities of terminal devices when providing paging reception configurations. However, with the continuous evolution of mobile communication technologies, such as in 6G systems, terminal devices may utilize different capabilities / functions (reception states) to receive paging messages. How to send and receive paging messages more efficiently remains an unresolved issue.

[0106] The method provided in this application enables a terminal device supporting at least two reception states to receive paging messages based solely on a first reception state (first case), or based on both a first and a second reception state (second case). Simultaneously, the terminal device can receive small data through the paging message and / or information sent in the PO. The method provided in this application improves the reliability of paging message transmission and reduces the power consumption of the terminal device receiving paging messages and small data.

[0107] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the system architecture of a communication system 400 provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. The system architecture may include: terminal device 10, access network device 20, and core network device 30.

[0108] Terminal equipment 10 can refer to UE (User Equipment), access terminal equipment, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal equipment, mobile device, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user device. Optionally, terminal equipment can also be a cellular phone, cordless phone, SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) phone, WLL (Wireless Local Loop) station, PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), handheld device with wireless communication function, computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, vehicle-mounted device, wearable device, terminal equipment in 5GS (5th Generation System), or terminal equipment in the future evolved PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network), etc., and this application embodiment is not limited thereto. For ease of description, the devices mentioned above are collectively referred to as terminal equipment.

[0109] It should be noted that there are usually multiple terminal devices 10, and one or more terminal devices 10 can be distributed within the cell managed by each access network device 20. Furthermore, one or more terminal devices 10 can also be distributed outside the cell managed by the access network device 20. Different terminal devices 10 can communicate with each other via sidelinks.

[0110] Access network device 20 is a device deployed in an access network to provide wireless communication functionality to terminal device 10. Access network device 20 may include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations, relay stations, access points, etc. In systems employing different wireless access technologies, the name of the device with access network device functionality may differ; for example, in a 5G NR system, it is called gNodeB or gNB. As communication technologies evolve, the name "access network device" may change. For ease of description, in this embodiment, the aforementioned devices providing wireless communication functionality to terminal device 10 are collectively referred to as access network devices. Optionally, a communication relationship can be established between terminal device 10 and core network device 30 through access network device 20. For example, in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, access network device 20 may be one or more eNodeBs within an EUTRAN (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network) or EUTRAN; in a 5G NR system, access network device 20 may be one or more gNBs within an RAN (Radio Access Network).

[0111] The core network equipment 30 primarily functions to provide user connectivity, manage users, and bear services, serving as an interface to external networks. For example, core network equipment in a 5G NR system may include AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) entities, UPF (User Plane Function) entities, and SMF (Session Management Function) entities. Access network equipment 20 and core network equipment 30 can be collectively referred to as network equipment.

[0112] In one example, access network device 20 and core network device 30 communicate with each other via some over-the-air technology, such as the NG interface in a 5G NR system. Access network device 20 and terminal device 10 communicate with each other via some over-the-air technology, such as the Uu interface. Terminal devices 10 communicate with each other via some over-the-air technology, such as the PC5 interface.

[0113] Figure 5 is a flowchart of a paging configuration method provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. This method can be executed by a terminal device. The method includes:

[0114] Step 502: Receive paging configuration, which is associated with at least one receiving state of the terminal device.

[0115] Paging configuration is used by the terminal device to receive paging messages; for example, paging configuration is used to configure the channel for scheduling paging messages. In some embodiments, paging configuration is equivalent to / can be replaced by at least one of paging-related configuration, paging reception configuration, paging reception-related configuration, and paging message reception configuration. The terminal device supports at least two reception states, and the terminal device receives signals differently in different reception states. In some embodiments, the reception state of the terminal device is related to the functionality / capabilities of the terminal device.

[0116] Regarding the receiving status of the terminal device:

[0117] In some embodiments, the terminal device supports a first receiving state and a second receiving state. The first receiving state is equivalent to / can be replaced by a first transmitting state, and the second receiving state is equivalent to / can be replaced by a second transmitting state. The terminal device receiving signals through the first receiving state can be understood as the first case, and the terminal device receiving signals through the second receiving state can be understood as the second case.

[0118] The terminal device transmits signals in the first receiving state in at least one of the following ways: transmitting signals through a first terminal device function; transmitting signals through a first capability set; transmitting a first signal set; transmitting signals within a first resource set; or transmitting signals through a first functional core. The transmission by the terminal device includes receiving and / or sending. In some embodiments, the first terminal device function includes the functions used by the terminal device to transmit signals in the first receiving state; the first capability set includes the capabilities used by the terminal device to transmit signals in the first receiving state; the first signal set includes the set of signals used by the terminal device to transmit signals in the first receiving state; the first resource set includes the resources used by the terminal device to transmit signals in the first receiving state; and the first functional core includes the functional core used by the terminal device to transmit signals in the first receiving state. In some embodiments, the first functional core is the first processor of the terminal device.

[0119] The terminal device transmits signals in the second receiving state in at least one of the following ways: transmitting signals through a second terminal device function; transmitting signals through a second capability set; transmitting a second signal set; transmitting signals within a second resource set; or transmitting signals through a second functional core. The transmission by the terminal device includes receiving and / or sending. In some embodiments, the second terminal device function includes the functions used by the terminal device to transmit signals in the second receiving state; the second capability set includes the capabilities used by the terminal device to transmit signals in the second receiving state; the second signal set includes the set of signals used by the terminal device to transmit signals in the second receiving state; the second resource set includes the resources used by the terminal device to transmit signals in the second receiving state; and the second functional core includes the functional core used by the terminal device to transmit signals in the second receiving state. In some embodiments, the second functional core is a second processor of the terminal device.

[0120] In some embodiments, the first terminal device function and the second terminal device function, and / or the first capability set and the second capability set include at least one of the following (which can be understood as the device function and / or capability set of the terminal device including at least one of the following): receiving bandwidth; transmitting bandwidth; number of receiving antennas; number of transmitting antennas; number of receiving ports; number of transmitting ports; number of transmitting layers; maximum supported modulation and coding scheme (MCS); and maximum data rate.

[0121] In some embodiments, at least one function of the first terminal device differs from that of the second terminal device; and / or, at least one capability of the first capability set differs from that of the second capability set. For example, the maximum receiving bandwidth / maximum transmitting bandwidth of the terminal device in the first transmission state differs from that of the terminal device in the second transmission state. In some embodiments, the transmission resources occupied by the first signal set differ from those of the second signal set. In some embodiments, the transmission resources included in the first resource set differ from those in the second resource set. In some embodiments, the first functional core includes a small functional core, and the second functional core includes a large functional core. The performance and / or energy efficiency of the small functional core is weaker than that of the large functional core, or the performance and / or energy efficiency of the large functional core is stronger than that of the small functional core.

[0122] In some embodiments, the terminal device supports switching between a first terminal device function and a second terminal device function, and / or switching between a first capability set and a second capability set. For some terminal devices, it may also support only the first terminal device function and / or the first capability set.

[0123] In some embodiments, the terminal device supports transmitting different sets of signals at different times. For some terminal devices, it may also support transmitting only the first set of signals.

[0124] In some embodiments, the terminal device supports transmitting signals within different resource sets at different times. For some terminal devices, it may also support transmitting signals only within a first resource set.

[0125] In some embodiments, the terminal device also supports at least one of the following signal transmission methods: transmitting signals through functions beyond the capabilities of the first terminal device; transmitting signals through capabilities beyond the first set of capabilities; transmitting signals outside the first set of signals; and transmitting signals within resources outside the first set of resources.

[0126] It should be noted that the control channels and / or data channels that the terminal device can receive are different in the first receiving state and the second receiving state described above; and / or, the success rate of the terminal device in receiving the control channels and / or data channels is different; and / or, the receiving range of the terminal device in receiving the control channels and / or data channels is different.

[0127] For the first paging configuration:

[0128] In some embodiments, the terminal device receives a first paging configuration, which is associated with a first receiving state of the terminal device. The first paging configuration is applicable to both a first paging message and a second paging message. In some embodiments, the first paging configuration is a terminal device-specific paging configuration. The association of the first paging configuration with the first receiving state of the terminal device can be understood as the first paging configuration being used by the terminal device to receive paging messages through the first receiving state. The applicability of the first paging configuration to both the first and second paging messages can be understood as the first paging configuration being used by the terminal device to receive both the first and second paging messages.

[0129] The first paging configuration can be understood as the network device assuming that the terminal device always receives paging messages according to the first reception state (first case). In some embodiments, in this case, the maximum receiving bandwidth of the terminal device is less than or equal to the first bandwidth (W), and / or the number of receiving antennas of the terminal device is less than or equal to the first number of antennas (N). The first bandwidth and the first number of antennas can be agreed upon by the communication protocol or determined by the network device.

[0130] The first paging message includes a paging message used to instruct the terminal device to receive a broadcast message, and the second paging message includes paging messages other than the first paging message. The first paging message and the second paging message can be collectively referred to as paging messages. In some embodiments, the second paging message includes at least one of the following: a paging message used to indicate the arrival of downlink data; a timed paging message; and a paging message used to indicate a TAU.

[0131] In some embodiments, the first paging configuration is used to configure a first resource carrying a first downlink control channel, which is used to schedule a first paging message and a second paging message. In some embodiments, the first downlink control channel includes a first PDCCH, and the first resource includes a CORESET for carrying the first PDCCH, such as a CORESET associated with the search space of the first PDCCH, which is used to schedule the first paging message and the second paging message.

[0132] In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the first resource is less than or equal to the first bandwidth, and the maximum receiving bandwidth of the terminal device in the first receiving state is less than or equal to the first bandwidth. By making the bandwidth of the first resource less than or equal to the first bandwidth, it can be ensured that the terminal device can receive the first downlink control channel of the scheduling paging message in the first receiving state, thereby ensuring that the terminal device can receive the paging message in the first receiving state.

[0133] In some embodiments, the number of time-domain units occupied by the first resource is greater than a first quantity. The time-domain units may include OFDM symbols. The first quantity may be defined by the communication protocol or configured by the network device. In some embodiments, the first quantity is 3. In some embodiments, at least one of the multiple time-domain units occupied by the first resource is used to transmit indication information, which indicates whether a first downlink control channel needs to be detected by the terminal device.

[0134] For example, if the maximum receiving bandwidth of the terminal device in the first receiving state is less than or equal to 3MHz, then:

[0135] The SSB and associated CORESET#0 transmitted by the network device do not overlap in the time domain. In the frequency domain, the frequency resources occupied by the SSB and the frequency resources of the associated CORESET#0 completely or nearly completely overlap. For example, FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the SSB and CORESET#0 provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. As shown in FIG6, in this case, the bandwidth of the SSB and CORESET#0 can be reduced, ensuring that the terminal device can receive the SSB and CORESET#0 in the first receiving state.

[0136] • The bandwidth of CORESET#0 configured on the network device is less than or equal to W. For example, when the subcarrier spacing of CORESET#0 is 15kHz, the Physical Resource Block (PRB) occupied by the configured CORESET#0 should be equal to 12. This configuration ensures that the terminal device can receive SIB1 and other broadcast messages.

[0137] • The bandwidth of the CORESET associated with the search space of the PDCCH configured for scheduling paging messages in the network device should be less than or equal to W, so as to ensure that the terminal device can receive the PDCCH for scheduling paging messages.

[0138] • The number of OFDM symbols occupied by COREET#0 configured on network devices can be greater than 3, for example, equal to 4 OFDM symbols, which can improve the coverage of PDCCH. Alternatively, one of the OFDM symbols can be used to send indication information to indicate whether a PDCCH that needs to be detected is currently present on the terminal device. This indication information can be carried through a preset / specified sequence. To avoid collisions with the DMRS of PDSCH, the DMRS of PDSCH can be mapped starting from the 4th OFDM symbol of a time slot (OFDM symbols within a time slot are indexed starting from 0).

[0139] For the second paging configuration:

[0140] First scenario:

[0141] In some embodiments, the terminal device receives a second paging configuration and a third paging configuration. The terminal device can receive the second and third paging configurations through the same signaling, or it can receive them separately through different signaling. In some embodiments, the second paging configuration is used to instruct the terminal device to receive a first paging message, and the third paging configuration is used to instruct the terminal device to receive a second paging message. The second paging configuration is associated with the terminal device's first receiving state and applies to the first paging message; the third paging configuration is associated with the terminal device's second receiving state and applies to the second paging message. The association of the second paging configuration with the terminal device's first receiving state and its application to the first paging message can be understood as the second paging configuration being used by the terminal device to receive the paging message through the first receiving state and by the terminal device to receive the first paging message. Similarly, the association of the third paging configuration with the terminal device's second receiving state and its application to the second paging message can be understood as the third paging configuration being used by the terminal device to receive the paging message through the second receiving state and by the terminal device to receive the second paging message.

[0142] The second paging configuration can be understood as the network device assuming that the terminal device can receive the first paging message according to the first receiving state (first case) or the second paging message according to the second receiving state (second case). In some embodiments, the terminal device can also receive the first paging message according to the second receiving state. In some embodiments, the maximum receiving bandwidth of the terminal device in the first receiving state is less than or equal to the first bandwidth (W), and / or the number of receiving antennas is less than or equal to the first number of antennas (N). The maximum receiving bandwidth of the terminal device in the second receiving state is greater than or equal to the first bandwidth (W), and / or the number of receiving antennas is greater than or equal to the first number of antennas (N).

[0143] In some embodiments, the second paging configuration is used to configure at least one of a second resource and a first PO carrying a second downlink control channel, the second downlink control channel being used to schedule the first paging message. In some embodiments, the second downlink control channel includes a second PDCCH, the second resource includes a CORESET for carrying the second PDCCH, for example including a CORESET associated with the search space of the second PDCCH, the second PDCCH being used to schedule the first paging message.

[0144] In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the second resource is less than or equal to the first bandwidth, and the maximum receiving bandwidth of the terminal device in the first receiving state is less than or equal to the first bandwidth. By making the bandwidth of the second resource less than or equal to the first bandwidth, it can be ensured that the terminal device can receive the second downlink control channel scheduling the first paging message in the first receiving state, thereby ensuring that the terminal device can receive the first paging message in the first receiving state.

[0145] In some embodiments, the second paging configuration is used to configure the period of the first PO and the position of the first PO within each period.

[0146] In some embodiments, the third paging configuration is used to configure at least one of a third resource and a second PO carrying a third downlink control channel, the third downlink control channel being used to schedule the second paging message. In some embodiments, the third downlink control channel includes a third PDCCH, the third resource includes a CORESET for carrying the third PDCCH, for example including a CORESET associated with the search space of the third PDCCH, the third PDCCH being used to schedule the second paging message.

[0147] In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the third resource is greater than or equal to the first bandwidth, and the maximum receiving bandwidth of the terminal device in the first receiving state is less than or equal to the first bandwidth. By making the bandwidth of the third resource greater than or equal to the first bandwidth, it can be ensured that the terminal device can receive the third downlink control channel for scheduling the second paging message in the second receiving state, thereby ensuring that the terminal device can receive the second paging message more stably in the stronger second receiving state.

[0148] In some embodiments, the third paging configuration is used to configure the period of the second PO and the position of the second PO within each period. In some embodiments, the second PO is different from the first PO. In some embodiments, the period of the second PO is greater than or equal to the period of the first PO, or the period of the second PO is an integer multiple of the period of the first PO.

[0149] The second scenario:

[0150] In some embodiments, the terminal device receives a second paging configuration and a third paging configuration, wherein the second paging configuration is associated with a first receiving state of the terminal device and is applicable to a first paging message, and the third paging configuration is associated with a second receiving state of the terminal device and is applicable to a second paging message.

[0151] In some embodiments, the second paging configuration is used to configure at least one of a second resource and a third PO carrying a second downlink control channel. The second downlink control channel is used to schedule the first paging message, and the third PO is a PO uniformly configured for at least two terminal devices and / or a PO uniformly configured for the first paging message and the second paging message. In some embodiments, the second paging configuration is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the second downlink control channel that schedules the first paging message. The second downlink control channel and the second resource can be referred to the relevant content above, and will not be repeated here. In some embodiments, the second paging configuration is used to configure the period of the third PO and the position of the third PO within each period.

[0152] In some embodiments, the third paging configuration is used to configure at least one of a third resource and a third PO carrying a third downlink control channel. The third downlink control channel is used to schedule the second paging message. The third PO is a PO uniformly configured for at least two terminal devices and / or a PO uniformly configured for the first paging message and the second paging message. In some embodiments, the third paging configuration is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the third downlink control channel that schedules the second paging message. The third downlink control channel and the third resource can be referred to the relevant content above, and will not be repeated here. In some embodiments, the third paging configuration is used to configure the period of the third PO and the position of the third PO within each period.

[0153] In some embodiments, the second paging configuration and / or the third paging configuration are further used to indicate a subset of the third PO, which is used by the terminal device to receive the second paging message. Within the subset of the third PO, the terminal device can receive the first paging message and the second paging message through a second receiving state.

[0154] For example, FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a PO provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. As shown in FIG7, the terminal device receives a paging message in PO701 according to a second receiving state, and can receive both a first paging message and a second paging message. In other POs, i.e. PO702, it only receives the first paging message according to the first receiving state.

[0155] In summary, the method provided in this embodiment enables a terminal device supporting at least two reception states to receive paging configurations associated with at least one reception state. This allows the terminal device to receive paging messages based on only one reception state, and / or based on multiple reception states. It enables the provision of paging configurations to the terminal device based on its reception state. Targeted paging configurations help improve the reliability of paging message transmission and reduce the power consumption of the terminal device when receiving paging messages.

[0156] The method provided in this embodiment further ensures the reliability of the terminal device's reception of paging messages in the first reception state by providing a first paging configuration. Since the first paging configuration is provided specifically for the first receiving state, this targeted provision ensures the reliability of the terminal device's reception of paging messages in the first receiving state. By ensuring that the bandwidth of the downlink control channel carrying the scheduling paging message is less than or equal to the first bandwidth when the terminal device receives paging messages in the first receiving state, the method guarantees that the terminal device can receive the downlink control channel carrying the scheduling paging message in the first receiving state. By providing the terminal device with a second and a third paging configuration, the terminal device can receive paging messages in both the first and second receiving states, improving the flexibility of paging message reception. Furthermore, given the terminal device's stronger downlink reception capability in the second receiving state, enabling it to receive paging messages in the second receiving state helps reduce the resource overhead of paging message transmission and improves the success rate of paging message reception. Making the period of the second PO longer than the period of the first PO helps reduce the complexity of the terminal device receiving paging messages in the second receiving state.

[0157] Figure 8 is a flowchart of a small data transmission method provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. The method can be executed by a terminal device. The method includes:

[0158] Step 802: Receive a paging message and / or receive the first message sent in the PO.

[0159] The paging message carries small data, and the first information instructs the terminal device to receive the small data. In some embodiments, the first information includes a PDCCH. In some embodiments, the terminal device can receive small data for the terminal device based on the first information. In some embodiments, the small data includes at least one of the following: data with a packet size smaller than a first data volume; data with a reliability requirement lower than a first level; or data with a latency requirement lower than a first latency. The first data volume, the first level, and the first latency can be agreed upon by the communication protocol or determined by the network device.

[0160] In some embodiments, the terminal device supports at least two receiving states. The terminal device receives paging messages through a first receiving state and / or through a second receiving state. The first and second receiving states of the terminal device can be referred to the relevant content in other embodiments of this application, and will not be repeated here.

[0161] For the first method of scheduling small data:

[0162] In some embodiments, the terminal device receives a first identifier configured by the network device. The first identifier is used by the terminal device to receive small data after entering the RRC idle state. The first identifier includes at least one of the following: Radio Network Temporary Identity (RNTI); Small Data Radio Network Temporary Identity (SD-RNTI).

[0163] In some embodiments, the first information sent in the PO, scrambled with a first identifier, is used to schedule small data. The terminal device can receive small data for the terminal device based on the first information scrambled with the first identifier.

[0164] For example, after returning to the RRC idle state, the terminal device will detect the Paging Radio Network Temporary Identity (P-RNTI) and the SD-RNTI scrambled PDCCH within the configured PO. The P-RNTI scrambled PDCCH is used to schedule paging messages, while the SD-RNTI scrambled PDCCH is used to schedule small data.

[0165] Regarding the second method of scheduling small data:

[0166] In some embodiments, the terminal device receives a second identifier configured by the network device, which is used by the terminal device to receive small data after entering the RRC idle state. In some embodiments, the second identifier includes a terminal device identifier (UE ID).

[0167] In some embodiments, the first information includes a first bit field, which indicates whether the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit small data, and the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit a first indication field. If the first bit field of the first information indicates that the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit small data, and the identifier in the first indication field received by the terminal device through the downlink transmission matches the second identifier, the terminal device will process the data carried by the downlink transmission, thereby receiving the small data for the terminal device. In some embodiments, the first indication field includes a Media Access Control (MAC) CE.

[0168] For example, after returning to the RRC idle state, the terminal device detects a P-RNTI-scrambled PDCCH within the configured PO. This PDCCH contains a first bit field indicating whether the scheduled downlink transmission is small data. In the scheduled downlink transmission, a first indication field is transmitted, containing the UE ID, indicating the terminal device to which the small data is sent. If the terminal device detects a P-RNTI-scrambled PDCCH, and the first bit field of the PDCCH indicates that the scheduled downlink transmission is small data, and the UE ID contained in the first indication field of the downlink transmission received by the terminal device matches the terminal device's own UE ID, then the terminal device will process the data carried by that downlink transmission.

[0169] For the third method of scheduling small data:

[0170] In some embodiments, the first information includes a first bit field, which indicates whether the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit small data, and the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit a second indication field. If the first bit field of the first information indicates that the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit small data, and the identifier in the second indication field received by the terminal device through the downlink transmission matches the terminal device identifier, the terminal device will process the data carried by the downlink transmission, thereby receiving the small data for the terminal device. In some embodiments, the second indication field includes a MAC CE. The identifier in the second indication field includes a paging identity.

[0171] For example, after returning to the RRC idle state, the terminal device detects a P-RNTI-scrambled PDCCH within the configured PO. This PDCCH contains a first bit field indicating whether the scheduled downlink transmission is small data. In the scheduled downlink transmission, a second indication field is transmitted, containing a paging ID to indicate the terminal device to which the small data is sent. If the terminal device detects a P-RNTI-scrambled PDCCH, and the first bit field of the PDCCH indicates that the scheduled downlink transmission is small data, and the paging ID contained in the second indication field of the downlink transmission received by the terminal device matches the terminal device's own UE ID, then the terminal device will process the data carried by that downlink transmission.

[0172] Regarding the fourth method of scheduling small data:

[0173] In some embodiments, the downlink transmission of the first information scheduling is used to transmit a third indication field and / or a fourth indication field. The third indication field indicates that the downlink transmission carries small data or a paging message, and the fourth indication field includes a third identifier. When the terminal device receives the third indication field via the downlink transmission indicating that the downlink transmission carries small data, and the third identifier in the fourth indication field matches the terminal device identifier of the terminal device, the terminal device processes the data carried by the downlink transmission, thereby receiving the small data for the terminal device. In some embodiments, the third indication field and / or the fourth indication field includes a MAC CE. The third identifier includes at least one of a paging identifier and a terminal device identifier.

[0174] For example, after returning to the RRC idle state, the terminal device detects a P-RNTI-scrambled PDCCH within the configured PO. The downlink transmission scheduled by the PDCCH includes a third indication field, which indicates whether the downlink transmission carries small data or a paging message. The downlink transmission also includes a fourth indication field, which contains the paging ID or other types of UE ID. If the terminal device detects a P-RNTI-scrambled PDCCH, and the third indication field in the downlink transmission scheduled by the received PDCCH indicates that the downlink transmission carries small data, and the paging ID or UE ID contained in the fourth indication field matches the terminal device's own UE ID, then the terminal device will process the data carried by the downlink transmission.

[0175] In some embodiments, when the third indication field indicates that the downlink transmission carries small data, the downlink transmission is also used to transmit a fifth indication field, which indicates the number of small data items for different terminal devices included in the downlink transmission. Small data items for different terminal devices can be understood as small data items used for different terminal devices or small data items received by different terminal devices. In some embodiments, the fifth indication field is equivalent to / can be replaced by a quantity indication field. In some embodiments, the fifth indication field includes a MAC CE.

[0176] In some embodiments, when the third indication field indicates that the downlink transmission carries small data, the downlink transmission is also used to transmit a sixth indication field, which indicates the length of the small data carried by the downlink transmission. In some embodiments, the sixth indication field is equivalent to / can be replaced by a length indication field. In some embodiments, the sixth indication field includes a MAC CE.

[0177] For example, Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of downlink transmission provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 9, downlink transmission 901 and downlink transmission 902 contain a first part, which is a third indication field containing 1 bit of information. If it is 1 / 0, it indicates that downlink transmission 902 contains a paging message; if it is 0 / 1, it indicates that downlink transmission 901 contains small data. When the third indication field indicates that downlink transmission 901 carries small data, downlink transmission 901 further includes a second part (a fourth indication field) and a third part, where the second part is the paging ID or UE ID, and the third part is the small data. When the third indication field indicates that downlink transmission 902 carries a paging message, the second part of downlink transmission 902 carries the paging message.

[0178] For example, Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of downlink transmission provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 10, downlink transmission 1001 has a first part, which is a third indication field containing 1 bit of information. If it is 1 / 0, it indicates that downlink transmission 1001 contains a paging message; if it is 0 / 1, it indicates that downlink transmission 1001 contains small data. When the third indication field indicates that downlink transmission 1001 carries small data, downlink transmission 1001 further includes a fifth indication field, which is used to indicate how many small data items for different terminal devices are included in downlink transmission 1001. Figure 10 uses 2 small data items as an example. After the fifth indication field are fourth indication field 1, small data 1, fourth indication field 2, and small data 2 in sequence. It should be noted that after the fifth indication field, it can also be fourth indication field 1, fourth indication field 2, small data 1, and small data 2 in sequence. This embodiment of the application does not limit this. For example, Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of downlink transmission provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 11, compared to the downlink transmission 1001 shown in Figure 10, a sixth indicator field can be added after the fourth indicator field in the downlink transmission 1101 to indicate the length of the small data carried by the downlink transmission 1101.

[0179] In summary, the method provided in this embodiment, by using paging messages to carry small data and / or by sending first information within the PO to enable the terminal device to receive small data, allows the terminal device to receive small data without entering the RRC connection state, which helps reduce the power consumption of the terminal device and also saves uplink resources.

[0180] The method provided in this embodiment also helps improve the reliability of transmitting small data via paging messages by enabling the terminal device to receive paging messages carrying small data in different receiving states. By configuring a first identifier on the terminal device, the terminal device can receive small data for itself according to the first identifier. By configuring a second identifier on the terminal device, the terminal device can receive small data for itself according to the second identifier. Through the first bit field of the first information and the second indication field of downlink transmission, the terminal device can receive small data for itself according to the indication of the first bit field and the second indication field. By sending a third indication field and a fourth indication field through downlink transmission, the terminal device can receive small data for itself according to the indication of the third indication field and the fourth indication field. By sending a fifth indication field through downlink transmission, small data for multiple terminal devices can be sent in a single downlink transmission. By sending a sixth indication field through downlink transmission, flexible length small data transmission can be achieved.

[0181] Figure 12 is a flowchart of a paging configuration method provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. The method can be performed by a network device. The method includes:

[0182] Step 1202: Send a paging configuration to the terminal device, the paging configuration being associated with at least one receiving state of the terminal device.

[0183] Paging configuration is used by the terminal device to receive paging messages; for example, paging configuration is used to configure the channel for scheduling paging messages. The terminal device supports at least two receiving states, and the way the terminal device receives signals differs in different receiving states. In some embodiments, the receiving state of the terminal device is related to the functionality / capabilities of the terminal device. For a description of the receiving states of the terminal device, please refer to the relevant content above; this application embodiment will not repeat it here.

[0184] In some embodiments, the network device sends a first paging configuration to the terminal device. The first paging configuration is associated with a first reception state of the terminal device and applies to both the first paging message and the second paging message. For a description of the first paging configuration, please refer to the relevant content above; this embodiment will not repeat it further.

[0185] In some embodiments, the network device sends a second paging configuration and a third paging configuration to the terminal device. For a description of the second and third paging configurations, please refer to the relevant content above; this embodiment will not repeat them here.

[0186] In summary, the method provided in this embodiment sends a paging configuration associated with at least one reception state to a terminal device that supports at least two reception states. This allows the terminal device to receive paging messages based on only one reception state, and / or based on multiple reception states. It enables the provision of paging configurations to the terminal device based on its reception state. Targeted paging configurations help improve the reliability of paging message transmission and reduce the power consumption of the terminal device when receiving paging messages.

[0187] The method provided in this embodiment further ensures the reliability of the terminal device's reception of paging messages in the first reception state by providing a first paging configuration. Since the first paging configuration is provided specifically for the first receiving state, this targeted provision ensures the reliability of the terminal device's reception of paging messages in the first receiving state. By ensuring that the bandwidth of the downlink control channel carrying the scheduling paging message is less than or equal to the first bandwidth when the terminal device receives paging messages in the first receiving state, the method guarantees that the terminal device can receive the downlink control channel carrying the scheduling paging message in the first receiving state. By providing the terminal device with a second and a third paging configuration, the terminal device can receive paging messages in both the first and second receiving states, improving the flexibility of paging message reception. Furthermore, given the terminal device's stronger downlink reception capability in the second receiving state, enabling it to receive paging messages in the second receiving state helps reduce the resource overhead of paging message transmission and improves the success rate of paging message reception. Making the period of the second PO longer than the period of the first PO helps reduce the complexity of the terminal device receiving paging messages in the second receiving state.

[0188] Figure 13 is a flowchart of a small data transmission method provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. The method can be performed by a network device. The method includes:

[0189] Step 1302: Send a paging message to the terminal device, and / or send the first information to the terminal device in the PO.

[0190] The paging message carries small amounts of data, and the first information instructs the terminal device to receive the small data. In some embodiments, the first information includes a PDCCH. In some embodiments, the small data includes at least one of the following: data with a packet size smaller than a first data volume; data with reliability requirements lower than a first level; or data with latency requirements lower than a first latency.

[0191] In some embodiments, the network device sends a paging message to a terminal device in a first receiving state, and / or sends a paging message to a terminal device in a second receiving state.

[0192] In some embodiments, the network device configures a first identifier to the terminal device. This first identifier is used by the terminal device to receive small data after entering the RRC idle state. The first identifier includes at least one of the following: RNTI; SD-RNTI. In some embodiments, in the first information sent in the PO, the first information scrambled with the first identifier is used to schedule small data.

[0193] In some embodiments, the network device configures a second identifier to the terminal device, which is used by the terminal device to receive small data after entering the RRC idle state. In some embodiments, the second identifier includes a terminal device identifier (UE ID).

[0194] In some embodiments, the first information includes a first bit field, which is used to indicate whether the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit small data, and the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit a first indication field. When the first bit field of the first information indicates that the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit small data, and the identifier in the first indication field matches the second identifier, the downlink transmission carries data from the terminal device. In some embodiments, the first indication field includes a MAC CE.

[0195] In some embodiments, the first information includes a first bit field, which indicates whether the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit small data, and the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit a second indication field. When the first bit field of the first information indicates that the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit small data, and the identifier in the second indication field matches the terminal device identifier of the terminal device, the downlink transmission carries data from the terminal device. In some embodiments, the second indication field includes a MAC CE. The identifier in the second indication field includes a paging identifier.

[0196] In some embodiments, the downlink transmission of the first information scheduling is used to transmit a third indication field and / or a fourth indication field. The third indication field indicates that the downlink transmission carries small data or a paging message, and the fourth indication field includes a third identifier. When the third indication field indicates that the downlink transmission carries small data, and the third identifier in the fourth indication field matches the terminal device identifier of the terminal device, the downlink transmission carries data from the terminal device. In some embodiments, the third indication field and / or the fourth indication field includes a MAC CE. The third identifier includes at least one of a paging identifier and a terminal device identifier.

[0197] In some embodiments, when the third indication field indicates that the downlink transmission carries small data, the downlink transmission is further configured to transmit a fifth indication field, which indicates the number of small data items included in the downlink transmission for different terminal devices. In some embodiments, when the third indication field indicates that the downlink transmission carries small data, the downlink transmission is further configured to transmit a sixth indication field, which indicates the length of the small data items carried in the downlink transmission. In some embodiments, the sixth indication field is equivalent to / can be replaced by a length indication field.

[0198] In summary, the method provided in this embodiment, by using paging messages to carry small data and / or by sending first information within the PO to enable the terminal device to receive small data, allows the terminal device to receive small data without entering the RRC connection state, which helps reduce the power consumption of the terminal device and also saves uplink resources.

[0199] The method provided in this embodiment also helps improve the reliability of transmitting small data via paging messages by enabling the terminal device to receive paging messages carrying small data in different receiving states. By configuring a first identifier on the terminal device, the terminal device can receive small data for itself according to the first identifier. By configuring a second identifier on the terminal device, the terminal device can receive small data for itself according to the second identifier. Through the first bit field of the first information and the second indication field of downlink transmission, the terminal device can receive small data for itself according to the indication of the first bit field and the second indication field. By sending a third indication field and a fourth indication field through downlink transmission, the terminal device can receive small data for itself according to the indication of the third indication field and the fourth indication field. By sending a fifth indication field through downlink transmission, small data for multiple terminal devices can be sent in a single downlink transmission. By sending a sixth indication field through downlink transmission, flexible length small data transmission can be achieved.

[0200] Figure 14 is a flowchart of a paging configuration method provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. This method can be used in the system shown in Figure 4.

[0201] The method includes:

[0202] Step 1402: The network device sends a paging configuration to the terminal device.

[0203] The paging configuration is associated with at least one receiving state of the terminal device. The terminal device supports at least two receiving states, and the way the terminal device receives signals differs in different receiving states. The paging configuration is used by the terminal device to receive paging messages; for example, the paging configuration is used to configure the channel for scheduling paging messages. In some embodiments, the receiving state of the terminal device is related to the functionality / capabilities of the terminal device. For a description of the receiving states of the terminal device, please refer to the relevant content above; this application embodiment will not repeat it here.

[0204] In some embodiments, the network device sends a first paging configuration to the terminal device. The first paging configuration is associated with a first reception state of the terminal device and applies to both the first paging message and the second paging message. For a description of the first paging configuration, please refer to the relevant content above; this embodiment will not repeat it further.

[0205] In some embodiments, the network device sends a second paging configuration and a third paging configuration to the terminal device. For a description of the second and third paging configurations, please refer to the relevant content above; this embodiment will not repeat them here.

[0206] Step 1404: The terminal device receives the paging message according to the paging configuration.

[0207] The terminal device receives a first paging message through a first receiving state according to the paging configuration, and / or receives a second paging message and / or a first paging message through a second receiving state according to the paging configuration.

[0208] In this embodiment, steps 1402 and 1404 are optional. In different embodiments, one of these steps may be omitted or replaced.

[0209] Step 1402 can be implemented as a standalone embodiment, such as a paging configuration receiving method on the terminal device side or a paging configuration sending method on the network device side. Step 1404 can be implemented as a standalone embodiment, such as a paging message receiving method on the terminal device side or a paging message sending method on the network device side.

[0210] In summary, the method provided in this embodiment sends a paging configuration associated with at least one reception state to a terminal device that supports at least two reception states. This allows the terminal device to receive paging messages based on only one reception state, and / or based on multiple reception states. It enables the provision of paging configurations to the terminal device based on its reception state. Targeted paging configurations help improve the reliability of paging message transmission and reduce the power consumption of the terminal device when receiving paging messages.

[0211] The method provided in this embodiment further ensures the reliability of the terminal device's reception of paging messages in the first reception state by providing a first paging configuration. Since the first paging configuration is provided specifically for the first receiving state, this targeted provision ensures the reliability of the terminal device's reception of paging messages in the first receiving state. By ensuring that the bandwidth of the downlink control channel carrying the scheduling paging message is less than or equal to the first bandwidth when the terminal device receives paging messages in the first receiving state, the method guarantees that the terminal device can receive the downlink control channel carrying the scheduling paging message in the first receiving state. By providing the terminal device with a second and a third paging configuration, the terminal device can receive paging messages in both the first and second receiving states, improving the flexibility of paging message reception. Furthermore, given the terminal device's stronger downlink reception capability in the second receiving state, enabling it to receive paging messages in the second receiving state helps reduce the resource overhead of paging message transmission and improves the success rate of paging message reception. Making the period of the second PO longer than the period of the first PO helps reduce the complexity of the terminal device receiving paging messages in the second receiving state.

[0212] Figure 15 is a flowchart of a small data transmission method provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. This method can be used in the system shown in Figure 4. The method includes:

[0213] Step 1502: The network device sends a paging message to the terminal device.

[0214] Paging messages are used to carry small amounts of data. In some embodiments, small data includes at least one of the following: data with a packet size smaller than a first data volume; data with reliability requirements lower than a first level; and data with latency requirements lower than a first latency.

[0215] In some embodiments, the network device sends a paging message to a terminal device in a first receiving state, and / or sends a paging message to a terminal device in a second receiving state.

[0216] Step 1504: The network device sends the first information to the terminal device.

[0217] The network device sends first information to the terminal device in the PO, which instructs the terminal device to receive small data. In some embodiments, the first information includes the PDCCH.

[0218] In some embodiments, the network device configures a first identifier to the terminal device. This first identifier is used by the terminal device to receive small data after entering the RRC idle state. The first identifier includes at least one of the following: RNTI; SD-RNTI. In some embodiments, in the first information sent in the PO, the first information scrambled with the first identifier is used to schedule small data.

[0219] In some embodiments, the network device configures a second identifier to the terminal device. This second identifier is used by the terminal device to receive small data after entering the RRC idle state. In some embodiments, the second identifier includes a terminal device identifier (UE ID). In some embodiments, the first information includes a first bit field, which is used to indicate whether the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit small data. The downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit a first indication field. When the first bit field of the first information indicates that the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit small data, and the identifier in the first indication field matches the second identifier, the downlink transmission carries data from the terminal device. In some embodiments, the first indication field includes a MAC CE.

[0220] In some embodiments, the first information includes a first bit field, which indicates whether the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit small data, and the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit a second indication field. When the first bit field of the first information indicates that the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit small data, and the identifier in the second indication field matches the terminal device identifier of the terminal device, the downlink transmission carries data from the terminal device. In some embodiments, the second indication field includes a MAC CE. The identifier in the second indication field includes a paging identifier.

[0221] In some embodiments, the downlink transmission of the first information scheduling is used to transmit a third indication field and / or a fourth indication field. The third indication field indicates that the downlink transmission carries small data or a paging message, and the fourth indication field includes a third identifier. When the third indication field indicates that the downlink transmission carries small data, and the third identifier in the fourth indication field matches the terminal device identifier of the terminal device, the downlink transmission carries data from the terminal device. In some embodiments, the third indication field and / or the fourth indication field includes a MAC CE. The third identifier includes at least one of a paging identifier and a terminal device identifier.

[0222] In some embodiments, when the third indication field indicates that the downlink transmission carries small data, the downlink transmission is further configured to transmit a fifth indication field, which indicates the number of small data items included in the downlink transmission for different terminal devices. In some embodiments, when the third indication field indicates that the downlink transmission carries small data, the downlink transmission is further configured to transmit a sixth indication field, which indicates the length of the small data items carried in the downlink transmission. In some embodiments, the sixth indication field is equivalent to / can be replaced by a length indication field.

[0223] In this embodiment, steps 1502 and 1504 are optional. In different embodiments, one of these steps may be omitted or substituted.

[0224] Step 1502 can be implemented as a standalone embodiment, such as a paging message receiving method on the terminal device side or a paging message sending method on the network device side. Step 1504 can be implemented as a standalone embodiment, such as a small data receiving method on the terminal device side or a small data sending method on the network device side.

[0225] In summary, the method provided in this embodiment, by using paging messages to carry small data and / or by sending first information within the PO to enable the terminal device to receive small data, allows the terminal device to receive small data without entering the RRC connection state, which helps reduce the power consumption of the terminal device and also saves uplink resources.

[0226] The method provided in this embodiment also helps improve the reliability of transmitting small data via paging messages by enabling the terminal device to receive paging messages carrying small data in different receiving states. By configuring a first identifier on the terminal device, the terminal device can receive small data for itself according to the first identifier. By configuring a second identifier on the terminal device, the terminal device can receive small data for itself according to the second identifier. Through the first bit field of the first information and the second indication field of downlink transmission, the terminal device can receive small data for itself according to the indication of the first bit field and the second indication field. By sending a third indication field and a fourth indication field through downlink transmission, the terminal device can receive small data for itself according to the indication of the third indication field and the fourth indication field. By sending a fifth indication field through downlink transmission, small data for multiple terminal devices can be sent in a single downlink transmission. By sending a sixth indication field through downlink transmission, flexible length small data transmission can be achieved.

[0227] It should be noted that the order of the method steps provided in the embodiments of this application can be appropriately adjusted, and the steps can be added or removed as appropriate. Furthermore, different steps can be freely combined to form new embodiments. Any variations that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the protection scope of this application, and therefore will not be elaborated further. In addition, the order of the different situations described above does not have a preferred meaning, but is only for convenience of description.

[0228] Figure 16 is a block diagram of a terminal device provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. The device can be implemented as a terminal device or as part of a terminal device through software, hardware, or a combination of both. The device includes a receiving module 1601.

[0229] The receiving module 1601 is used to receive paging configuration, which is associated with at least one receiving state of the terminal device.

[0230] The paging configuration is used by the terminal device to receive paging messages; for example, the paging configuration is used to configure the channel for scheduling paging messages. In some embodiments, the paging configuration is equivalent to / can be replaced by at least one of paging-related configuration, paging reception configuration, paging reception-related configuration, and paging message reception configuration. The terminal device supports at least two reception states.

[0231] Regarding the receiving status of the terminal device:

[0232] In some embodiments, the terminal device supports a first receiving state and a second receiving state. In the first receiving state, the terminal device transmits signals in at least one of the following ways: transmitting signals through a first terminal device function; transmitting signals through a first capability set; transmitting signals through a first signal set; transmitting signals within a first resource set; or transmitting signals through a first functional core. The transmission by the terminal device includes receiving and / or sending. In the second receiving state, the terminal device transmits signals in at least one of the following ways: transmitting signals through a second terminal device function; transmitting signals through a second capability set; transmitting signals through a second signal set; transmitting signals within a second resource set; or transmitting signals through a second functional core. The transmission by the terminal device includes receiving and / or sending.

[0233] In some embodiments, the functions of the first terminal device and the functions of the second terminal device, and / or the first capability set and the second capability set include at least one of the following: receiving bandwidth; transmitting bandwidth; number of receiving antennas; number of transmitting antennas; number of receiving ports; number of transmitting ports; number of transmitting layers; maximum supported MCS; and maximum data rate.

[0234] In some embodiments, at least one function of the first terminal device differs from that of the second terminal device; and / or, at least one capability of the first capability set differs from that of the second capability set. In some embodiments, the transmission resources occupied by the first signal set differ from those of the second signal set. In some embodiments, the transmission resources included in the first resource set differ from those of the second resource set. In some embodiments, the first functional core includes a small functional core, and the second functional core includes a large functional core.

[0235] In some embodiments, the terminal device supports switching between a first terminal device function and a second terminal device function, and / or switching between a first capability set and a second capability set. In some embodiments, the terminal device supports transmitting different signal sets at different times. In some embodiments, the terminal device supports transmitting signals within different resource sets at different times. In some embodiments, the terminal device also supports at least one of the following signal transmission methods: transmitting signals through functions exceeding the first terminal device function; transmitting signals through capabilities exceeding the first capability set; transmitting signals outside the first signal set; and transmitting signals within resources outside the first resource set.

[0236] For the first paging configuration:

[0237] In some embodiments, the receiving module 1601 is configured to receive a first paging configuration, which is associated with a first receiving state of the terminal device. The first paging configuration is applicable to a first paging message and a second paging message. The first paging message includes a paging message instructing the terminal device to receive a broadcast message, and the second paging message includes paging messages other than the first paging message. In some embodiments, the second paging message includes at least one of the following: a paging message instructing downlink data arrival; a timed paging message; or a paging message instructing a TAU (Terminal Access Unit).

[0238] In some embodiments, the first paging configuration is used to configure a first resource carrying a first downlink control channel, and the first downlink control channel is used to schedule a first paging message and a second paging message. In some embodiments, the first downlink control channel includes a first PDCCH, the first resource includes a CORESET for carrying the first PDCCH, and the first PDCCH is used to schedule the first paging message and the second paging message. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the first resource is less than or equal to a first bandwidth, and the maximum receiving bandwidth of the terminal device in a first receiving state is less than or equal to the first bandwidth.

[0239] In some embodiments, the number of time-domain units occupied by the first resource is greater than a first quantity. The time-domain units may include OFDM symbols. The first quantity may be defined by the communication protocol or configured by the network device. In some embodiments, the first quantity is 3. In some embodiments, at least one of the multiple time-domain units occupied by the first resource is used to transmit indication information, which indicates whether a first downlink control channel needs to be detected by the terminal device.

[0240] For the second paging configuration:

[0241] First scenario:

[0242] In some embodiments, the receiving module 1601 is configured to receive a second paging configuration and a third paging configuration. The second paging configuration is associated with a first receiving state of the terminal device and is applicable to a first paging message, while the third paging configuration is associated with a second receiving state of the terminal device and is applicable to a second paging message.

[0243] In some embodiments, the second paging configuration is used to configure at least one of a second resource and a first PO carrying a second downlink control channel, the second downlink control channel being used to schedule the first paging message.

[0244] In some embodiments, the second downlink control channel includes a second PDCCH, and the second resource includes a CORESET for carrying the second PDCCH, the second PDCCH being used to schedule the first paging message. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the second resource is less than or equal to the first bandwidth, and the maximum receiving bandwidth of the terminal device in the first receiving state is less than or equal to the first bandwidth. In some embodiments, the second paging configuration is used to configure the period of the first PO and the position of the first PO within each period. In some embodiments, the third paging configuration is used to configure at least one of the third resource and the second PO carrying the third downlink control channel, the third downlink control channel being used to schedule the second paging message.

[0245] In some embodiments, the third downlink control channel includes a third PDCCH, and the third resource includes a CORESET for carrying the third PDCCH. The third PDCCH is used to schedule the second paging message. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the third resource is greater than or equal to the first bandwidth, and the maximum receiving bandwidth of the terminal device in the first receiving state is less than or equal to the first bandwidth. In some embodiments, the third paging configuration is used to configure the period of the second PO and the position of the second PO within each period. In some embodiments, the second PO is different from the first PO. In some embodiments, the period of the second PO is greater than or equal to the period of the first PO, or the period of the second PO is an integer multiple of the period of the first PO.

[0246] The second scenario:

[0247] In some embodiments, the second paging configuration is used to configure at least one of a second resource and a third PO carrying a second downlink control channel, the second downlink control channel being used to schedule a first paging message, and the third PO being a PO uniformly configured for at least two terminal devices and / or a PO uniformly configured for both the first and second paging messages. In some embodiments, the second paging configuration is used to configure the period of the third PO and the position of the third PO within each period. In some embodiments, the third paging configuration is used to configure at least one of a third resource and a third PO carrying a third downlink control channel, the third downlink control channel being used to schedule a second paging message, and the third PO being a PO uniformly configured for at least two terminal devices and / or a PO uniformly configured for both the first and second paging messages. In some embodiments, the third paging configuration is used to configure the period of the third PO and the position of the third PO within each period.

[0248] Figure 17 is a block diagram of a terminal device provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. The device can be implemented as a terminal device or as part of a terminal device through software, hardware, or a combination of both. The device includes a receiving module 1701 and a processing module 1702.

[0249] The receiving module 1701 is used to receive paging messages and / or receive the first information sent in the PO.

[0250] The paging message is used to carry small data, and the first information is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the small data. In some embodiments, the first information includes a PDCCH. In some embodiments, the small data includes at least one of the following: data with a packet size smaller than a first data volume; data with a reliability requirement lower than a first level; or data with a latency requirement lower than a first latency.

[0251] In some embodiments, the terminal device supports at least two receiving states. The terminal device receives paging messages through a first receiving state and / or through a second receiving state. The first and second receiving states of the terminal device can be referred to the relevant content in other embodiments of this application, and will not be repeated here.

[0252] For the first method of scheduling small data:

[0253] In some embodiments, the receiving module 1701 is used to receive a first identifier configured by the network device. The first identifier is used to receive small data after the terminal device enters the RRC idle state. The first identifier includes at least one of the following: RNTI; SD-RNTI. In some embodiments, in the first information sent in the PO, the first information scrambled with the first identifier is used to schedule small data.

[0254] Regarding the second method of scheduling small data:

[0255] In some embodiments, the receiving module 1701 is configured to receive a second identifier configured by the network device, the second identifier being used by the terminal device to receive small data after entering the RRC idle state. In some embodiments, the second identifier includes the UE ID. In some embodiments, the first information includes a first bit field, the first bit field being used to indicate whether the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit small data, and the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit a first indication field. The processing module 1702 is configured to process the data carried by the downlink transmission when the first bit field of the first information indicates that the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit small data, and the identifier in the first indication field received by the terminal device through the downlink transmission is consistent with the second identifier.

[0256] For the third method of scheduling small data:

[0257] In some embodiments, the first information includes a first bit field, which is used to indicate whether the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit small data, and the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit a second indication field. The processing module 1702 is used to process the data carried by the downlink transmission when the first bit field of the first information indicates that the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit small data, and the identifier in the second indication field received by the terminal device through the downlink transmission is consistent with the terminal device identifier of the terminal device.

[0258] Regarding the fourth method of scheduling small data:

[0259] In some embodiments, the downlink transmission of the first information scheduling is used to transmit a third indication field and / or a fourth indication field. The third indication field is used to indicate that the downlink transmission carries small data or a paging message, and the fourth indication field includes a third identifier. The processing module 1702 is used to process the data carried in the downlink transmission when the third indication field received by the terminal device through the downlink transmission indicates that the downlink transmission carries small data, and the third identifier in the fourth indication field is consistent with the terminal device identifier of the terminal device.

[0260] In some embodiments, when the third indication field indicates that the downlink transmission carries small data, the downlink transmission is also used to transmit a fifth indication field, which indicates the number of small data items included in the downlink transmission for different terminal devices. In some embodiments, when the third indication field indicates that the downlink transmission carries small data, the downlink transmission is also used to transmit a sixth indication field, which indicates the length of the small data items carried in the downlink transmission.

[0261] Figure 18 is a block diagram of a network device provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. The device can be implemented as a network device, or as part of a network device, through software or hardware, or a combination of both. The device includes a transmitting module 1801.

[0262] The sending module 1801 is used to send a paging configuration to the terminal device, the paging configuration being associated with at least one receiving state of the terminal device.

[0263] Paging configuration is used by the terminal device to receive paging messages. For example, paging configuration is used to configure the channel for scheduling paging messages. The terminal device supports at least two reception states, and the way the terminal device receives signals differs in different reception states.

[0264] For the first paging configuration:

[0265] In some embodiments, the sending module 1801 is used to send a first paging configuration to the terminal device. The first paging configuration is associated with a first receiving state of the terminal device and is applicable to both the first paging message and the second paging message.

[0266] The first paging message includes a paging message for instructing the terminal device to receive a broadcast message, and the second paging message includes paging messages other than the first paging message. In some embodiments, the second paging message includes at least one of the following: a paging message for indicating the arrival of downlink data; a timed paging message; or a paging message for indicating a TAU.

[0267] In some embodiments, the first paging configuration is used to configure a first resource carrying a first downlink control channel, and the first downlink control channel is used to schedule a first paging message and a second paging message. In some embodiments, the first downlink control channel includes a first PDCCH, the first resource includes a CORESET for carrying the first PDCCH, and the first PDCCH is used to schedule the first paging message and the second paging message. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the first resource is less than or equal to a first bandwidth, and the maximum receiving bandwidth of the terminal device in the first receiving state is less than or equal to the first bandwidth.

[0268] In some embodiments, the number of time-domain units occupied by the first resource is greater than a first number. The time-domain units may include OFDM symbols. In some embodiments, the first number is 3. In some embodiments, at least one of the multiple time-domain units occupied by the first resource is used to transmit indication information, which indicates whether a first downlink control channel needs to be detected by the terminal device.

[0269] For the second paging configuration:

[0270] First scenario:

[0271] In some embodiments, the sending module 1801 is configured to send a second paging configuration and a third paging configuration to the terminal device. The second paging configuration is associated with a first receiving state of the terminal device and is applicable to the first paging message, while the third paging configuration is associated with a second receiving state of the terminal device and is applicable to the second paging message.

[0272] In some embodiments, the second paging configuration is used to configure at least one of a second resource and a first PO carrying a second downlink control channel, the second downlink control channel being used to schedule a first paging message. In some embodiments, the second downlink control channel includes a second PDCCH, the second resource includes a CORESET for carrying the second PDCCH, and the second PDCCH is used to schedule the first paging message. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the second resource is less than or equal to the first bandwidth, and the maximum receiving bandwidth of the terminal device in the first receiving state is less than or equal to the first bandwidth. By making the bandwidth of the second resource less than or equal to the first bandwidth, it can be ensured that the terminal device can receive the second downlink control channel that schedules the first paging message in the first receiving state, thereby ensuring that the terminal device can receive the first paging message in the first receiving state. In some embodiments, the second paging configuration is used to configure the period of the first PO and the position of the first PO in each period. In some embodiments, the third paging configuration is used to configure at least one of a third resource and a second PO carrying a third downlink control channel, the third downlink control channel being used to schedule the second paging message. In some embodiments, the third downlink control channel includes a third PDCCH, the third resource includes a CORESET for carrying the third PDCCH, and the third PDCCH is used to schedule the second paging message. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the third resource is greater than or equal to the first bandwidth, and the maximum receiving bandwidth of the terminal device in the first receiving state is less than or equal to the first bandwidth. In some embodiments, the third paging configuration is used to configure the period of the second PO and the position of the second PO within each period. In some embodiments, the second PO is different from the first PO. In some embodiments, the period of the second PO is greater than or equal to the period of the first PO, or the period of the second PO is an integer multiple of the period of the first PO.

[0273] The second scenario:

[0274] In some embodiments, the second paging configuration is used to configure at least one of a second resource and a third PO carrying a second downlink control channel, the second downlink control channel being used to schedule the first paging message, and the third PO being a PO uniformly configured for at least two terminal devices and / or a PO uniformly configured for the first paging message and the second paging message. In some embodiments, the third paging configuration is used to configure at least one of a third resource and a third PO carrying a third downlink control channel, the third downlink control channel being used to schedule the second paging message, and the third PO being a PO uniformly configured for at least two terminal devices and / or a PO uniformly configured for the first paging message and the second paging message. In some embodiments, the third paging configuration is used to configure the period of the third PO and the position of the third PO within each period.

[0275] Figure 19 is a block diagram of a network device provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. The device can be implemented as a network device or as part of a network device by software or hardware or a combination of both. The device includes a transmitting module 1901.

[0276] The sending module 1901 is used to send a paging message to the terminal device and / or send first information to the terminal device in the PO.

[0277] The paging message carries small amounts of data, and the first information instructs the terminal device to receive the small data. In some embodiments, the first information includes a PDCCH. In some embodiments, the small data includes at least one of the following: data with a packet size smaller than a first data volume; data with reliability requirements lower than a first level; or data with latency requirements lower than a first latency.

[0278] In some embodiments, the network device sends a paging message to a terminal device in a first receiving state and / or sends a paging message to a terminal device in a second receiving state.

[0279] In some embodiments, the network device configures a first identifier for the terminal device, which is used by the terminal device to receive small data after entering the RRC idle state. The first identifier includes at least one of the following: RNTI; SD-RNTI. In some embodiments, in the first information sent in the PO, the first information scrambled with the first identifier is used to schedule small data.

[0280] In some embodiments, the network device configures a second identifier to the terminal device, which is used by the terminal device to receive small data after entering the RRC idle state. In some embodiments, the second identifier includes a terminal device identifier (UE ID).

[0281] In some embodiments, the first information includes a first bit field, which is used to indicate whether the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit small data, and the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit a first indication field. When the first bit field of the first information indicates that the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit small data, and the identifier in the first indication field matches the second identifier, the downlink transmission carries data from the terminal device. In some embodiments, the first indication field includes a MAC CE.

[0282] In some embodiments, the first information includes a first bit field, which indicates whether the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit small data, and the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit a second indication field. When the first bit field of the first information indicates that the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit small data, and the identifier in the second indication field matches the terminal device identifier of the terminal device, the downlink transmission carries data from the terminal device. In some embodiments, the second indication field includes a MAC CE. The identifier in the second indication field includes a paging identifier.

[0283] In some embodiments, the downlink transmission of the first information scheduling is used to transmit a third indication field and / or a fourth indication field. The third indication field indicates that the downlink transmission carries small data or a paging message, and the fourth indication field includes a third identifier. When the third indication field indicates that the downlink transmission carries small data, and the third identifier in the fourth indication field matches the terminal device identifier of the terminal device, the downlink transmission carries data from the terminal device. In some embodiments, the third indication field and / or the fourth indication field includes a MAC CE. The third identifier includes at least one of a paging identifier and a terminal device identifier.

[0284] In some embodiments, when the third indication field indicates that the downlink transmission carries small data, the downlink transmission is further configured to transmit a fifth indication field, which indicates the number of small data items included in the downlink transmission for different terminal devices. In some embodiments, when the third indication field indicates that the downlink transmission carries small data, the downlink transmission is further configured to transmit a sixth indication field, which indicates the length of the small data items carried in the downlink transmission. In some embodiments, the sixth indication field is equivalent to / can be replaced by a length indication field.

[0285] It should be noted that the device provided in the above embodiments is only illustrated by the division of the above functional modules when implementing its functions. In actual applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional modules according to actual needs, that is, the content structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0286] Regarding the apparatus in the above embodiments, the specific manner in which each module performs its operation has been described in detail in the embodiments related to the method, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0287] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device (network device or terminal device) provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device may include: a processor 2001, a receiver 2002, a transmitter 2003, a memory 2004, and a bus 2005.

[0288] The processor 2001 includes one or more processing cores, and the processor 2001 executes various functional applications and information processing by running software programs and modules.

[0289] The receiver 2002 and the transmitter 2003 can be implemented as a transceiver 2006, which can be a communication chip.

[0290] The memory 2004 is connected to the processor 2001 via the bus 2005. The memory 2004 can be used to store computer programs, and the processor 2001 can be used to execute the computer programs to implement the various steps performed by the network device or terminal in the above method embodiments.

[0291] Furthermore, the memory 2004 can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, including but not limited to: RAM (Random-Access Memory) and ROM (Read-Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), flash memory or other solid-state storage technologies, CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory), DVD (Digital Video Disc) or other optical storage, magnetic tape cassettes, magnetic tape, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices.

[0292] In some embodiments, when the communication device is implemented as a terminal device, the receiver 2002 is used to receive a paging configuration associated with at least one reception state of the terminal device. The receiver 2002 can also be used to perform other reception-related steps performed by the terminal device in the above embodiments. The processor 2001 is used to process the data carried by the downlink transmission when a first bit field of the first information indicates that the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is for transmitting small data, and the identifier in the first indication field received by the terminal device through the downlink transmission matches a second identifier. The processor 2001 can also be used to perform other processing-related steps performed by the terminal device in the above embodiments.

[0293] In some embodiments, where the communication device is implemented as a network device, the transmitter 2003 is used to send a paging configuration to a terminal device, the paging configuration being associated with at least one receiving state of the terminal device; wherein the terminal device supports at least two receiving states. The transmitter 2003 can also be used to perform other transmission-related steps performed by the network device in the above embodiments.

[0294] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program executed by a processor of a terminal device to implement receiving a paging configuration associated with at least one receiving state of the terminal device; and / or receiving a paging message, and / or receiving first information sent in a PO; wherein the paging message carries the small data, and the first information instructs the terminal device to receive the small data. The program also implements other steps performed by the terminal device in the above embodiments. Alternatively, the computer program can be executed by a processor of a network device to implement sending a paging configuration to the terminal device, the paging configuration associated with at least one receiving state of the terminal device; wherein the terminal device supports at least two receiving states; and / or sending a paging message to the terminal device, and / or sending first information to the terminal device in a PO; wherein the paging message carries the small data, and the first information instructs the terminal device to receive the small data. The program also implements other steps performed by the network device in the above embodiments.

[0295] In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may include ROM (Read-Only Memory), RAM (Random-Access Memory), SSD (Solid State Drives), or optical disc, etc. The random access memory may include ReRAM (Resistance Random Access Memory) and DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory).

[0296] This application also provides a chip, which includes programmable logic circuitry and / or program instructions. When the chip is running on a terminal device, it is configured to receive a paging configuration associated with at least one reception state of the terminal device; and / or receive a paging message; and / or receive first information sent in a PO; wherein the paging message carries the small data, and the first information instructs the terminal device to receive the small data. It is also configured to perform other steps executed by the terminal device in the above embodiments. And / or, when the chip is running on a network device, it is configured to send a paging configuration to the terminal device, which is associated with at least one reception state of the terminal device; wherein the terminal device supports at least two reception states; and / or send a paging message to the terminal device, and / or send first information to the terminal device in a PO; wherein the paging message carries the small data, and the first information instructs the terminal device to receive the small data. It is also configured to perform other steps executed by the network device in the above embodiments.

[0297] This application also provides a computer program product or computer program, which includes computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The processor of the communication device reads and executes the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium to implement the various steps in the above-described paging configuration method and / or small data transmission method.

[0298] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the functions described in the embodiments of this application in one or more of the above examples can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, these functions can be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, wherein communication media include any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0299] The above description is merely an exemplary embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A paging configuration method, characterized in that, The method is executed by a terminal device, which supports at least two receiving states, and the method includes: Receive paging configuration, the paging configuration being associated with at least one receiving state of the terminal device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The paging reception configuration includes: Receive a first paging configuration, the first paging configuration being associated with a first receiving state of the terminal device, the first paging configuration being applicable to a first paging message and a second paging message; The first paging message includes a paging message used to instruct the terminal device to receive a broadcast message, and the second paging message includes paging messages other than the first paging message.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second paging message includes at least one of the following: Paging messages used to indicate the arrival of downlink data; timed paging messages; paging messages used to indicate that the tracking area (TAU) has been updated.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The first paging configuration is used to configure a first resource carrying a first downlink control channel; The first downlink control channel is used to schedule the first paging message and the second paging message.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The bandwidth of the first resource is less than or equal to the first bandwidth; Wherein, the maximum receiving bandwidth of the terminal device in the first receiving state is less than or equal to the first bandwidth.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, The first resource includes a control resource set CORESET for carrying the first physical downlink control channel PDCCH; The first PDCCH is used to schedule the first paging message and the second paging message.

7. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that, The number of time-domain units occupied by the first resource is greater than the first quantity.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, At least one time domain unit among the multiple time domain units occupied by the first resource is used to transmit indication information; The indication information is used to indicate whether the first downlink control channel that needs to be detected exists.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The first quantity is 3.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The paging reception configuration includes: The terminal device receives a second paging configuration and a third paging configuration, wherein the second paging configuration is associated with a first receiving state and is applicable to a first paging message, and the third paging configuration is associated with a second receiving state and is applicable to a second paging message.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The second paging configuration is used to configure at least one of a second resource carrying the second downlink control channel and a first paging opportunity PO; The second downlink control channel is used to schedule the first paging message.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The bandwidth of the second resource is less than or equal to the bandwidth of the first resource; Wherein, the maximum receiving bandwidth of the terminal device in the first receiving state is less than or equal to the first bandwidth.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The second resource includes a CORESET for carrying a second PDCCH; The second PDCCH is used to schedule the first paging message.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that, The second paging configuration is used to configure the period of the first PO and the position of the first PO within each period.

15. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that, The third paging configuration is used to configure at least one of the third resource and the second PO carrying the third downlink control channel; The third downlink control channel is used to schedule the second paging message.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The bandwidth of the third resource is greater than or equal to the bandwidth of the first resource; Wherein, the maximum receiving bandwidth of the terminal device in the first receiving state is less than or equal to the first bandwidth.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that, The third resource includes a CORESET for carrying a third PDCCH; The third PDCCH is used to schedule the second paging message.

18. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 17, characterized in that, The third paging configuration is used to configure the period of the second PO and the position of the second PO within each period.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The period of the second PO is greater than or equal to the period of the first PO, or the period of the second PO is an integer multiple of the period of the first PO.

20. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 19, characterized in that, The second paging configuration is used to configure at least one of a second resource and a third PO carrying the second downlink control channel; The second downlink control channel is used to schedule the first paging message, and the third PO is a PO uniformly configured for at least two terminal devices.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The second paging configuration is used to configure the period of the third PO and the position of the third PO within each period.

22. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 21, characterized in that, The third paging configuration is used to configure at least one of a third resource and a third PO carrying a third downlink control channel; The third downlink control channel is used to schedule the second paging message, and the third PO is a PO uniformly configured for at least two terminal devices.

23. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 22, characterized in that, The terminal device supports a first receiving state and a second receiving state. The terminal device transmits signals in the first receiving state in at least one of the following ways: transmitting signals through a first terminal device function; transmitting signals through a first capability set; transmitting a first signal set; transmitting signals within a first resource set; transmitting signals through a first functional core. The terminal device transmits signals in the second receiving state in at least one of the following ways: transmitting signals through a second terminal device function; transmitting signals through a second capability set; transmitting a second signal set; transmitting signals within a second resource set; or transmitting signals through a second functional core.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, At least one function of the first terminal device is different from the function of the second terminal device; and / or, at least one capability of the first capability set is different from the second capability set.

25. The method according to claim 23 or 24, characterized in that, The transmission resources occupied by the first signal set are different from those of the second signal set.

26. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 25, characterized in that, The first resource set contains transmission resources that are different from the second resource set.

27. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 26, characterized in that, The first functional core includes a small functional core, and the second functional core includes a large functional core.

28. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 27, characterized in that, The terminal device supports switching between the first terminal device function and the second terminal device function, and / or switching between the first capability set and the second capability set.

29. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 28, characterized in that, The terminal device supports transmitting different sets of signals at different times.

30. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 29, characterized in that, The terminal device supports transmitting signals within different resource sets at different times.

31. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 30, characterized in that, The terminal device also supports at least one of the following signal transmission methods: Transmit signals through functions beyond the capabilities of the first terminal device; transmit signals through capabilities beyond the first set of capabilities; transmit signals outside the first set of signals; transmit signals within resources outside the first set of resources.

32. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 31, characterized in that, The first terminal device function and the second terminal device function, and / or the first capability set and the second capability set include at least one of the following: Receive bandwidth; transmit bandwidth; number of receive antennas; number of transmit antennas; number of receive ports; number of transmit ports; number of transmit layers; maximum supported modulation and coding scheme (MCS); maximum data rate.

33. A method for transmitting small amounts of data, characterized in that, The method is executed by a terminal device, and the method includes: Receive paging messages, and / or receive the first message sent in the PO; The paging message is used to carry the small data, and the first information is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the small data.

34. The method according to claim 33, characterized in that, The terminal device supports at least two receiving states; The receiving of paging messages includes: The paging message is received through a first receiving state and / or through a second receiving state.

35. The method according to claim 33 or 34, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first identifier received from the network device configuration; The first identifier is used by the terminal device to receive the small data after entering the Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle state.

36. The method according to claim 35, characterized in that, In the first information sent in the PO, the first information scrambled by the first identifier is used to schedule the small data.

37. The method according to claim 35 or 36, characterized in that, The first identifier includes at least one of the following: Temporary Identifier for Wireless Networks (RNTI); Temporary Identifier for Small Data Wireless Networks (SD-RNTI).

38. The method according to any one of claims 33 to 37, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive the second identifier configured by the network device; The second identifier is used to receive the small data after the terminal device enters the RRC idle state.

39. The method according to claim 38, characterized in that, The first information includes a first bit field, which is used to indicate whether the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit the small data, and the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit the first indication field. The method further includes: If the first bit field of the first information indicates that the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit the small data, and the identifier in the first indication field received by the terminal device through the downlink transmission is consistent with the second identifier, the data carried by the downlink transmission is processed.

40. The method according to claim 39, characterized in that, The first indication field includes the Media Access Control (MAC) control element CE.

41. The method according to any one of claims 38 to 40, characterized in that, The second identifier includes the terminal device identifier.

42. The method according to any one of claims 33 to 41, characterized in that, The first information includes a first bit field, which is used to indicate whether the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit the small data, and the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit a second indication field; the method further includes: If the first bit field of the first information indicates that the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit the small data, and the identifier in the second indication field received by the terminal device through the downlink transmission is consistent with the terminal device identifier of the terminal device, then the data carried by the downlink transmission is processed.

43. The method according to claim 42, characterized in that, The second indication field includes MAC CE.

44. The method according to claim 42 or 43, characterized in that, The identifier in the second indication field includes a paging identifier.

45. The method according to any one of claims 33 to 44, characterized in that, The downlink transmission of the first information scheduling is used to transmit a third indication field and / or a fourth indication field, wherein the third indication field is used to indicate that the downlink transmission carries the small data or the paging message, and the fourth indication field includes a third identifier; the method further includes: When the terminal device receives the third indication field through the downlink transmission, indicating that the downlink transmission carries the small data, and the third identifier in the fourth indication field is consistent with the terminal device identifier of the terminal device, the data carried by the downlink transmission is processed.

46. ​​The method according to claim 45, characterized in that, The third identifier includes at least one of a paging identifier and a terminal device identifier.

47. The method according to claim 45 or 46, characterized in that, When the third indication field indicates that the downlink transmission carries the small data, the downlink transmission is also used to transmit the fifth indication field; The fifth indication field is used to indicate the number of small data items for different terminal devices included in the downlink transmission.

48. The method according to any one of claims 45 to 47, characterized in that, When the third indication field indicates that the downlink transmission carries the small data, the downlink transmission is also used to transmit the sixth indication field; The sixth indication field is used to indicate the length of the small data carried in the downlink transmission.

49. The method according to any one of claims 33 to 48, characterized in that, The small data includes at least one of the following: Data whose packet size is smaller than the first data volume; data whose reliability requirements are lower than the first level; data whose latency requirements are lower than the first latency level.

50. The method according to any one of claims 33 to 49, characterized in that, The first information includes the PDCCH.

51. A paging configuration method, characterized in that, The method is performed by a network device, and the method includes: Send a paging configuration to a terminal device, the paging configuration being associated with at least one receiving state of the terminal device; The terminal device supports at least two receiving states.

52. The method according to claim 51, characterized in that, Sending paging configuration to the terminal device includes: Send a first paging configuration to the terminal device, the first paging configuration being associated with a first receiving state of the terminal device, and the first paging configuration being applicable to a first paging message and a second paging message; The first paging message includes a paging message used to instruct the terminal device to receive a broadcast message, and the second paging message includes paging messages other than the first paging message.

53. The method according to claim 52, characterized in that, The second paging message includes at least one of the following: Paging messages used to indicate the arrival of downlink data; timed paging messages; paging messages used to indicate TAU.

54. The method according to claim 52 or 53, characterized in that, The first paging configuration is used to configure a first resource carrying a first downlink control channel; The first downlink control channel is used to schedule the first paging message and the second paging message.

55. The method according to claim 54, characterized in that, The bandwidth of the first resource is less than or equal to the first bandwidth; Wherein, the maximum receiving bandwidth of the terminal device in the first receiving state is less than or equal to the first bandwidth.

56. The method according to claim 54 or 55, characterized in that, The first resource includes a CORESET for carrying the first PDCCH; The first PDCCH is used to schedule the first paging message and the second paging message.

57. The method according to any one of claims 54 to 56, characterized in that, The number of time-domain units occupied by the first resource is greater than the first quantity.

58. The method according to claim 57, characterized in that, At least one time domain unit among the multiple time domain units occupied by the first resource is used to transmit indication information; The indication information is used to indicate whether the first downlink control channel that needs to be detected exists.

59. The method according to claim 57 or 58, characterized in that, The first quantity is 3.

60. The method according to any one of claims 51 to 59, characterized in that, Sending paging configuration to the terminal device includes: Send a second paging configuration and a third paging configuration to the terminal device, wherein the second paging configuration is associated with a first receiving state of the terminal device and is applicable to a first paging message, and the third paging configuration is associated with a second receiving state of the terminal device and is applicable to a second paging message.

61. The method according to claim 60, characterized in that, The second paging configuration is used to configure at least one of a second resource and a first PO carrying a second downlink control channel; The second downlink control channel is used to schedule the first paging message.

62. The method according to claim 61, characterized in that, The bandwidth of the second resource is less than or equal to the bandwidth of the first resource; Wherein, the maximum receiving bandwidth of the terminal device in the first receiving state is less than or equal to the first bandwidth.

63. The method according to claim 61 or 62, characterized in that, The second resource includes a CORESET for carrying a second PDCCH; The second PDCCH is used to schedule the first paging message.

64. The method according to any one of claims 61 to 63, characterized in that, The second paging configuration is used to configure the period of the first PO and the position of the first PO within each period.

65. The method according to any one of claims 60 to 64, characterized in that, The third paging configuration is used to configure at least one of the third resource and the second PO carrying the third downlink control channel; The third downlink control channel is used to schedule the second paging message.

66. The method according to claim 65, characterized in that, The bandwidth of the third resource is greater than or equal to the bandwidth of the first resource; Wherein, the maximum receiving bandwidth of the terminal device in the first receiving state is less than or equal to the first bandwidth.

67. The method according to claim 65 or 66, characterized in that, The third resource includes a CORESET for carrying a third PDCCH; The third PDCCH is used to schedule the second paging message.

68. The method according to any one of claims 65 to 67, characterized in that, The third paging configuration is used to configure the period of the second PO and the position of the second PO within each period.

69. The method according to claim 68, characterized in that, The period of the second PO is greater than or equal to the period of the first PO, or the period of the second PO is an integer multiple of the period of the first PO.

70. The method according to any one of claims 60 to 69, characterized in that, The second paging configuration is used to configure at least one of a second resource and a third PO carrying the second downlink control channel; The second downlink control channel is used to schedule the first paging message, and the third PO is a PO uniformly configured for at least two terminal devices.

71. The method according to claim 70, characterized in that, The second paging configuration is used to configure the period of the third PO and the position of the third PO within each period.

72. The method according to any one of claims 60 to 71, characterized in that, The third paging configuration is used to configure at least one of a third resource and a third PO carrying a third downlink control channel; The third downlink control channel is used to schedule the second paging message, and the third PO is a PO uniformly configured for at least two terminal devices.

73. A method for transmitting small amounts of data, characterized in that, The method is performed by a network device, and the method includes: Send a paging message to the terminal device, and / or send first information to the terminal device in the PO; The paging message is used to carry the small data, and the first information is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the small data.

74. The method according to claim 73, characterized in that, The terminal device supports at least two receiving states; sending a paging message to the terminal device includes: The paging message is sent to the terminal device in the first receiving state, and / or to the terminal device in the second receiving state.

75. The method according to claim 73 or 74, characterized in that, The method further includes: Configure a first identifier on the terminal device; The first identifier is used to receive the small data after the terminal device enters the RRC idle state.

76. The method according to claim 75, characterized in that, In the first information sent in the PO, the first information scrambled by the first identifier is used to schedule the small data.

77. The method according to claim 75 or 76, characterized in that, The first identifier includes at least one of the following: RNTI; SD-RNTI.

78. The method according to any one of claims 73 to 77, characterized in that, The method further includes: Configure a second identifier on the terminal device; The second identifier is used to receive the small data after the terminal device enters the RRC idle state.

79. The method according to claim 78, characterized in that, The first information includes a first bit field, which is used to indicate whether the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit the small data, and the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit the first indication field. When the first bit field of the first information indicates that the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit the small data, and the identifier in the first indication field is consistent with the second identifier, the downlink transmission carries the data of the terminal device.

80. The method according to claim 79, characterized in that, The first indication field includes MAC CE.

81. The method according to any one of claims 78 to 80, characterized in that, The second identifier includes the terminal device identifier.

82. The method according to any one of claims 73 to 81, characterized in that, The first information includes a first bit field, which is used to indicate whether the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit the small data, and the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit a second indication field. When the first bit field of the first information indicates that the downlink transmission scheduled by the first information is used to transmit the small data, and the identifier in the second indication field is consistent with the terminal device identifier of the terminal device, the downlink transmission carries the data of the terminal device.

83. The method according to claim 82, characterized in that, The second indication field includes MAC CE.

84. The method according to claim 82 or 83, characterized in that, The identifier in the second indication field includes a paging identifier.

85. The method according to any one of claims 73 to 84, characterized in that, The downlink transmission of the first information scheduling is used to transmit a third indication field and / or a fourth indication field. The third indication field is used to indicate that the downlink transmission carries the small data or the paging message. The fourth indication field includes a third identifier. When the third indication field indicates that the downlink transmission carries the small data, and the third identifier in the fourth indication field is consistent with the terminal device identifier of the terminal device, the downlink transmission carries the data of the terminal device.

86. The method according to claim 85, characterized in that, The third identifier includes at least one of a paging identifier and a terminal device identifier.

87. The method according to claim 85 or 86, characterized in that, When the third indication field indicates that the downlink transmission carries the small data, the downlink transmission is also used to transmit the fifth indication field; The fifth indication field is used to indicate the number of small data items for different terminal devices included in the downlink transmission.

88. The method according to any one of claims 85 to 87, characterized in that, When the third indication field indicates that the downlink transmission carries the small data, the downlink transmission is also used to transmit the sixth indication field; The sixth indication field is used to indicate the length of the small data carried in the downlink transmission.

89. The method according to any one of claims 73 to 88, characterized in that, The small data includes at least one of the following: Data whose packet size is smaller than the first data volume; data whose reliability requirements are lower than the first level; data whose latency requirements are lower than the first latency level.

90. The method according to any one of claims 73 to 89, characterized in that, The first information includes the PDCCH.

91. A terminal device, characterized in that, The terminal device supports at least two receiving states, and the terminal device includes: A receiving module is configured to receive a paging configuration associated with at least one receiving state of the terminal device.

92. A terminal device, characterized in that, The terminal device includes: The receiving module is used to receive paging messages and / or receive the first information sent in the PO; The paging message is used to carry the small data, and the first information is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the small data.

93. A network device, characterized in that, The network device includes: A sending module is used to send a paging configuration to a terminal device, wherein the paging configuration is associated with at least one receiving state of the terminal device; The terminal device supports at least two receiving states.

94. A network device, characterized in that, The network device includes: The sending module is used to send a paging message to the terminal device and / or send first information to the terminal device in the PO; The paging message is used to carry small data, and the first information is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the small data.

95. A terminal device, characterized in that, The terminal device includes: processor; A transceiver connected to the processor; The transceiver is used to receive paging configurations, which are associated with at least one receiving state of the terminal device, and the terminal device supports at least two receiving states.

96. A terminal device, characterized in that, The terminal device includes: processor; A transceiver connected to the processor; The transceiver is used to receive paging messages and / or receive first information sent in the PO; The paging message is used to carry the small data, and the first information is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the small data.

97. A network device, characterized in that, The network device includes: processor; A transceiver connected to the processor; The transceiver is used to send a paging configuration to a terminal device, and the paging configuration is associated with at least one receiving state of the terminal device. The terminal device supports at least two receiving states.

98. A network device, characterized in that, The network device includes: processor; A transceiver connected to the processor; The transceiver is used to send a paging message to the terminal device and / or send first information to the terminal device in the PO; The paging message is used to carry small data, and the first information is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the small data.

99. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that is executed by a processor to implement the paging configuration method according to any one of claims 1 to 32, and / or the small data transmission method according to any one of claims 33 to 50, and / or the paging configuration method according to any one of claims 51 to 72, and / or the small data transmission method according to any one of claims 73 to 90.

100. A chip, characterized in that, The chip includes programmable logic circuitry and / or program instructions. When the chip is running on a communication device, it is used to receive a paging configuration associated with at least one receiving state of the communication device, which supports at least two receiving states.

101. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium; the processor of the communication device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium and executes the computer instructions, causing the communication device to implement the paging configuration method according to any one of claims 1 to 32, and / or the small data transmission method according to any one of claims 33 to 50, and / or the paging configuration method according to any one of claims 51 to 72, and / or the small data transmission method according to any one of claims 73 to 90.

102. A computer program, characterized in that, The computer program is executed by the processor of the communication device to implement the paging configuration method according to any one of claims 1 to 32, and / or the small data transmission method according to any one of claims 33 to 50, and / or the paging configuration method according to any one of claims 51 to 72, and / or the small data transmission method according to any one of claims 73 to 90.

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