Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and provides a communication method and apparatus. In the method, a terminal receives and processes first signaling and a first OD-SSB on the basis of a first time interval, wherein the first time interval may be determined according to a processing duration, the processing duration may be construed as a duration for which the terminal processes a related event (for example, activating a secondary cell and / or measuring a secondary cell), the processing duration may be determined on the basis of on a processing capability of the terminal, and different processing capabilities may correspond to different terminal services or application scenarios. That is, a terminal may have different times for receiving first signaling / a first OD-SSB in different terminal services or application scenarios, allowing the terminal to receive and process OD-SSBs more flexibly, and thereby enabling adaptation to different terminal services or application scenarios.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510128167.4, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on January 27, 2025, entitled “A Communication Method and Apparatus”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] Currently, networks can trigger on-demand synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) blocks (OD-SSBs) via specific media access control-control element (MAC CE) signaling. Therefore, OD-SSBs offer greater configuration flexibility compared to traditional SSBs. For example, when a network device sends a specific MAC CE signaling to a user equipment (UE), the UE needs to begin receiving the first OD-SSB at least after a predefined time interval T following the receipt of the specific MAC CE signaling.

[0004] However, the UE's reception and processing of OD-SSB based on the aforementioned timing constraints (i.e., the aforementioned T) is not flexible enough and cannot be applied to different UE services or application scenarios. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and apparatus, which makes the terminal's reception and processing of OD-SSB more flexible and applicable to different terminal services or application scenarios.

[0006] Firstly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a terminal, for example, by the terminal itself, or by a module applied to the terminal (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or by a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal's functions. For ease of description, the following description uses the method executed by the terminal as an example. The method includes: receiving a first signaling instruction, the first signaling instruction being used to instruct the terminal to receive an OD-SSB; receiving a first OD-SSB after a first time interval, the first time interval being determined based on the duration used to feedback the first signaling, a preset duration, and a processing duration.

[0007] Based on the method in the first aspect, it is known that the terminal receives and processes the first signaling and the first OD-SSB based on the first time interval. The first time interval can be determined according to the processing duration. The processing duration can be understood as the duration for the terminal to process related events (such as activating the secondary cell and / or measuring the secondary cell). This processing duration can be determined according to the processing capability of the terminal. Different processing capabilities can correspond to different terminal services or application scenarios. That is, the terminal can have different times to receive the first signaling / first OD-SSB under different terminal services or application scenarios. Thus, the implementation of the terminal receiving and processing OD-SSB is more flexible and can be applied to different terminal services or application scenarios.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the secondary cell to which the terminal receives the first OD-SSB is in a deactivated state; the communication method may further include receiving a second signaling message used to activate the secondary cell. The processing duration is determined based on the temporal positional relationship between the first and second signaling messages. This temporal positional relationship is the relationship between the time the network device sends the first signaling message and the time it sends the second signaling message, or the relationship between the time the terminal receives the first signaling message and the time it receives the second signaling message. Based on the temporal positional relationship between the first and second signaling messages, different uses of the first OD-SSB can be determined, such as activating a secondary cell or measuring a secondary cell, thereby determining different processing durations suitable for different scenarios.

[0009] Optionally, if the time domain position of the first signaling is before the time domain position of the second signaling, or if the time domain position of the first signaling is after the time domain position of the second signaling and the time interval between the time domain positions of the first and second signaling is less than or equal to a first threshold, the processing time is X1. If the time domain positions of the first and second signaling are the same, or if the time domain position of the first signaling is after the time domain position of the second signaling and the time interval between the time domain positions of the first and second signaling is greater than or equal to a second threshold, the processing time is X2. Where X1 is greater than 0, X2 is greater than or equal to 0, and X1 is greater than X2.

[0010] It is understandable that if the network device sends the first signaling before sending the second signaling, the terminal is unaware (or unable to perceive) that the first OD-SSB is sent to activate the secondary cell. This can also be understood as the first OD-SSB not being used to activate the secondary cell, thus the processing time could be longer than X1. Alternatively, if the network device sends the first signaling after sending the second signaling, and the time interval between sending the second and first signaling is less than or equal to a first threshold, the terminal does not yet have time to perceive that the first OD-SSB is sent to activate the secondary cell. If the terminal has not yet parsed out that the second signaling is used to activate the secondary cell, it is equivalent to the terminal being unaware (or unable to perceive) that the first OD-SSB is used to activate the secondary cell. This can also be understood as the first OD-SSB not being used to activate the secondary cell, thus the processing time could be longer than X1. Thus, when the latency requirement for the terminal to receive the first OD-SSB is not high, such as when the first OD-SSB is used to measure the secondary cell instead of activating it, determining a longer processing time X1 can ensure that the terminal has sufficient processing time and can prioritize other higher priority tasks, thereby improving communication performance.

[0011] If the network device sends the first signaling message simultaneously with the second signaling message, meaning the terminal receives both simultaneously, then the terminal perceives (or is able to perceive) that the first OD-SSB is sent to activate the secondary cell. This can be understood as the first OD-SSB being used to activate the secondary cell, which is an urgent and high-priority event; therefore, the processing time can be twice the shorter duration. Alternatively, if the network device sends the first signaling message after the second signaling message, and the time interval between sending the second and first signaling messages is greater than or equal to a second threshold, then the terminal has enough time to perceive that the first OD-SSB is sent to activate the secondary cell. This is equivalent to the terminal perceiving (or being able to perceive) that the first OD-SSB is used to activate the secondary cell, and the processing time can again be twice the shorter duration. Thus, when the latency requirement for the terminal to receive the first OD-SSB is high, the terminal can receive the first OD-SSB earlier, thereby shortening the latency for activating the secondary cell.

[0012] In this way, different processing times are determined according to different scenarios, making the implementation of terminal receiving and processing OD-SSB more flexible and applicable to different terminal services or application scenarios.

[0013] Optionally, if the time domain position of the first signaling is before the time domain position of the second signaling, or if the time domain position of the first signaling is after the time domain position of the second signaling and the time interval between the time domain positions of the first and second signaling is less than or equal to a first threshold, the processing time is X1. If the time domain positions of the first and second signaling are the same, or if the time domain position of the first signaling is after the time domain position of the second signaling and the time interval between the time domain positions of the first and second signaling is greater than or equal to a second threshold, the processing time is X2. Where X1 is greater than 0 and X2 is equal to 0.

[0014] It is understandable that X2 can be 0, meaning the terminal does not need additional processing time. The first time interval is determined based on the duration used for feeding back the first signaling and the preset duration. When there are high requirements for the latency of the terminal receiving the first OD-SSB, the terminal can receive the first OD-SSB earlier, thereby shortening the latency of activating the secondary cell.

[0015] Optionally, if the time domain position of the first signaling precedes the time domain position of the second signaling, the processing time is X1. If the time domain position of the first signaling is the same as the time domain position of the second signaling, or if the time domain position of the first signaling is after the time domain position of the second signaling, the processing time is X2. Where X1 is greater than 0, X2 is greater than or equal to 0, and X1 is greater than X2. That is, there is no need to additionally determine the relationship between the time interval between sending the second signaling and sending the first signaling and the aforementioned first threshold and / or second threshold; the processing time can be determined solely by the order of the time domain positions of the first and second signaling. Thus, determining the processing time through a simple judgment method achieves greater efficiency and speed.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the secondary cell receiving the first OD-SSB from the terminal is in a deactivated state, and the processing time is determined based on the terminal's measurement state. The terminal's measurement state can be the state or condition of the deactivated secondary cell measured by the terminal. Determining the processing time based on the terminal's measurement state is applicable to different terminal services or application scenarios.

[0017] Optionally, the terminal's measurement status includes at least one of the following: whether measurement of the frequency point corresponding to the secondary cell has been initiated, whether the measurement of the secondary cell needs to share measurement resources with measurements of other frequency points besides those mentioned above, or whether measurement of the frequency band where the secondary cell is located has been initiated. Whether measurement of the frequency point corresponding to the secondary cell has been initiated can be determined based on whether the terminal has always-on SSB enabled on the frequency point corresponding to the secondary cell. Whether the measurement of the secondary cell needs to share measurement resources with measurements of other frequency points can be determined based on the number of frequency points configured for measurement / the number of measurement objects (MOs). If the number of frequency points configured for measurement / the number of MOs is less than or equal to a third threshold, it is determined that the measurement of the secondary cell does not need to share measurement resources with measurements of other frequency points. If the number of frequency points configured for measurement / the number of MOs is greater than the third threshold, it is determined that the measurement of the secondary cell needs to share measurement resources with measurements of other frequency points. Whether measurement of the frequency band where the secondary cell is located has been initiated can be determined based on whether there is an active cell (or serving cell) or a measured MO in the frequency band where the secondary cell is located. The processing time is determined based on at least one of the above-mentioned measurement statuses of the terminal, enabling greater flexibility.

[0018] Optionally, if the terminal's measurement status includes at least one of the following: measurement of the frequency point corresponding to the secondary cell has not been started, the measurement of the secondary cell needs to share measurement resources with the measurement of other frequency points, or measurement of the frequency band where the secondary cell is located has not been started, then the processing time is X1; or, if the terminal's measurement status includes at least one of the following: measurement of the frequency point corresponding to the secondary cell has been started, the measurement of the secondary cell does not need to share measurement resources with the measurement of other frequency points, or measurement of the frequency band where the secondary cell is located has been started, and information indicating that the measurement of the secondary cell is of high priority is received, then the processing time is X2. Wherein, X1 is greater than 0, X2 is greater than or equal to 0, and X1 is greater than X2.

[0019] It is understandable that if the terminal does not initiate measurement on the frequency corresponding to the secondary cell, the terminal needs additional processing time to initiate the measurement on the corresponding frequency, thus the processing time is longer than X1. If the measurement of the secondary cell needs to share measurement resources with measurements on other frequencies, due to the terminal's limited processing resources, it may be necessary to plan multi-frequency measurements, requiring additional processing time, which can also be longer than X1. If the terminal does not initiate measurement on the frequency band where the secondary cell is located, the terminal needs additional processing time to initiate the measurement on the corresponding frequency, thus the processing time is longer than X1. In other words, when it is determined that the terminal needs a longer additional processing time based on the terminal's measurement status, determining a longer processing time of X1 ensures that the terminal has sufficient processing time, thus improving communication performance.

[0020] It is understandable that if the terminal has already started measurement of the frequency point corresponding to the secondary cell, the terminal does not need additional processing time to start measurement of the frequency point corresponding to the secondary cell. Therefore, the processing time can be a shorter X2, or the terminal does not need additional processing time, i.e., X2 is 0. If the measurement of the secondary cell does not need to share measurement resources with the measurement of other frequency points, there is no need to re-plan the multi-frequency point measurement. Therefore, the processing time can be a shorter X2, or the terminal does not need additional processing time, i.e., X2 is 0. If the terminal has already started measurement of the frequency band where the secondary cell is located, the processing time can be a shorter X2. If information indicating that the measurement of the secondary cell is of high priority is received, such as the terminal receiving indication information from the network device indicating that the terminal receives the measurement of the secondary cell of the first OD-SSB as high priority, the terminal does not need additional processing time, or the processing time can be a shorter X2. That is to say, when it is determined that the terminal does not need additional processing time or needs a shorter processing time based on the measurement status of the terminal, determining a shorter processing time X2 can shorten the latency of measuring the secondary cell.

[0021] Optionally, if the terminal's measurement status includes at least one of the following: measurement of the frequency point corresponding to the secondary cell has not been started, measurement of the secondary cell needs to share measurement resources with measurement of other frequency points, or measurement of the frequency band where the secondary cell is located has not been started, then the processing time is X1; or, if the terminal's measurement status includes at least one of the following: measurement of the frequency point corresponding to the secondary cell has been started, measurement of the secondary cell does not need to share measurement resources with measurement of other frequency points, or measurement of the frequency band where the secondary cell is located has been started, then the processing time is X2. Wherein, X1 is greater than 0, and X2 is equal to 0. It can be understood that X2 can be 0, meaning the terminal may not require additional processing time, and the first time interval is determined based on the duration used for feeding back the first signaling and a preset duration. In this way, the terminal can receive the first OD-SSB earlier, thereby shortening the delay for activating the measurement secondary cell.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the first time interval is the shortest time interval between receiving the first signaling and receiving the first OD-SSB. The first signaling is also used to indicate the time-domain location at which the terminal receives the first OD-SSB. The interval between receiving the first signaling and receiving the first OD-SSB can be the aforementioned first time interval, or it can be greater than the aforementioned first time interval. Receiving the first OD-SSB after the first time interval can be done at a certain time after the first time interval. For example, the network device sends the first signaling at time T1 and sends the first OD-SSB at time T2 after the first time interval T, where T2-T1 = T, or T2-T1 > T. If the interval between receiving the first signaling and receiving the first OD-SSB is greater than the aforementioned first time interval, the network device can indicate the specific time-domain location for receiving the first OD-SSB to the terminal through the first signaling, thereby enabling the terminal to receive the first OD-SSB more accurately.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the processing time is determined based on the purpose of the first OD-SSB. For example, the secondary cell in which the terminal receives the first OD-SSB is in a deactivated state; if the first OD-SSB is used to measure the secondary cell, the processing time is X1; if the first OD-SSB is used to activate the secondary cell, the processing time is X2; where X1 is greater than 0, X2 is greater than or equal to 0, and X1 is greater than X2.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the processing time is determined based on whether the network device needs to activate the secondary cell; if the network device does not need to activate the secondary cell, the processing time is X1; if the network device needs to activate the secondary cell, the processing time is X2; where X1 is greater than 0, X2 is greater than or equal to 0, and X1 is greater than X2.

[0025] Secondly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a network device, such as by the network device itself, or by a module applied to the network device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or by a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the network device's functions. For ease of description, the following description uses the example of the method being executed by a network device. The method includes: sending a first signaling instruction to a terminal to receive an OD-SSB; and sending a first OD-SSB after a first time interval, the first time interval being determined based on the duration for feeding back the first signaling, a preset duration, and a processing duration.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the secondary cell of the terminal receiving the first OD-SSB is in a deactivated state; the method further includes: sending a second signaling, the second signaling being used to activate the secondary cell; the processing duration is determined according to the temporal positional relationship between the first signaling and the second signaling.

[0027] Optionally, if the time domain position of the first signaling is before the time domain position of the second signaling, or if the time domain position of the first signaling is after the time domain position of the second signaling and the time interval between the time domain positions of the first and second signaling is less than or equal to a first threshold, the processing time is X1. If the time domain positions of the first and second signaling are the same, or if the time domain position of the first signaling is after the time domain position of the second signaling and the time interval between the time domain positions of the first and second signaling is greater than or equal to a second threshold, the processing time is X2. Where X1 is greater than 0, X2 is greater than or equal to 0, and X1 is greater than X2.

[0028] Optionally, if the time domain position of the first signaling is before the time domain position of the second signaling, or if the time domain position of the first signaling is after the time domain position of the second signaling and the time interval between the time domain positions of the first and second signaling is less than or equal to a first threshold, the processing time is X1. If the time domain positions of the first and second signaling are the same, or if the time domain position of the first signaling is after the time domain position of the second signaling and the time interval between the time domain positions of the first and second signaling is greater than or equal to a second threshold, the processing time is X2. Where X1 is greater than 0 and X2 is equal to 0.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the secondary cell of the first OD-SSB received by the terminal is in a deactivated state, and the processing time is determined according to the measurement state of the terminal.

[0030] Optionally, the measurement status of the terminal includes at least one of the following: whether the measurement of the frequency point corresponding to the secondary cell has been started, whether the measurement of the secondary cell needs to share measurement resources with the measurement of other frequency points besides the above-mentioned frequency points, or whether the measurement of the frequency band where the secondary cell is located has been started.

[0031] Optionally, if the terminal's measurement status includes at least one of the following: measurement of the frequency point corresponding to the secondary cell has not been started, the measurement of the secondary cell needs to share measurement resources with the measurement of other frequency points, or measurement of the frequency band where the secondary cell is located has not been started, then the processing time is X1. Alternatively, if the terminal's measurement status includes at least one of the following: measurement of the frequency point corresponding to the secondary cell has been started, the measurement of the secondary cell does not need to share measurement resources with the measurement of other frequency points, measurement of the frequency band where the secondary cell is located has been started, or information indicating that the measurement of the secondary cell is of high priority has been received, then the processing time is X2. Wherein, X1 is greater than 0, X2 is greater than or equal to 0, and X1 is greater than X2.

[0032] Optionally, if the terminal's measurement status includes at least one of the following: measurement of the frequency point corresponding to the secondary cell has not been started, the measurement of the secondary cell needs to share measurement resources with the measurement of other frequency points, or measurement of the frequency band where the secondary cell is located has not been started, then the processing time is X1; or, if the terminal's measurement status includes at least one of the following: measurement of the frequency point corresponding to the secondary cell has been started, the measurement of the secondary cell does not need to share measurement resources with the measurement of other frequency points, measurement of the frequency band where the secondary cell is located has been started, or information indicating that the measurement of the secondary cell is of high priority has been received, then the processing time is X2. Wherein, X1 is greater than 0, and X2 is equal to 0.

[0033] Optionally, the first time interval is the shortest time interval between sending the first signaling and sending the first OD-SSB, and the first signaling is also used to indicate the time domain location of the terminal receiving the first OD-SSB.

[0034] It is understood that the technical effects of the method in the second aspect mentioned above can also be referred to the relevant introduction in the first aspect mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0035] Thirdly, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes a processor configured to perform the method according to any one of the embodiments of the first to second aspects.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the communication device of the third aspect may further include a transceiver. This transceiver can be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used by the communication device of the third aspect to communicate with other communication devices.

[0037] In one possible implementation, the communication device of the third aspect may further include a memory. This memory may be integrated with the processor or disposed separately. The memory may be used to store computer programs and / or data involved in the methods of any of the embodiments of the first to second aspects.

[0038] Furthermore, the technical effects of the communication device in the third aspect can be referred to the technical effects of any of the embodiments in the first to second aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0039] Fourthly, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes a processor coupled to a memory, the processor being configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in the memory, such that the communication device performs the method of any one of the embodiments of the first to second aspects.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the communication device may further include a transceiver. The transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for communication between the communication device and other communication devices.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes the memory for storing the aforementioned computer program or instructions. Optionally, the memory and processor are integrated together.

[0042] Furthermore, the technical effects of the communication device in the fourth aspect can be referred to the technical effects of any of the embodiments in the first to second aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0043] Fifthly, a communication system is provided. The communication system includes: a terminal for performing the method of any embodiment of the first aspect, and a network device for performing any embodiment of the second aspect.

[0044] A sixth aspect provides a computer-readable storage medium comprising: a computer program or instructions; which, when executed, cause the method of any embodiment of the first aspect described above to be implemented, or cause the method of any embodiment of the second aspect described above to be implemented.

[0045] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the method as described in any embodiment of the first aspect above to be implemented, or cause the method as described in any embodiment of the second aspect above to be implemented.

[0046] Eighthly, a chip is provided, including a processor connected to a memory for storing a computer program, the processor for executing the computer program stored in the memory, such that the method as described in any of the first to second aspects above is implemented. Attached Figure Description

[0047] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the OD-SSB cycle provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the OD-SSB triggering timing provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system to which the method provided in the embodiments of this application is applicable;

[0050] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system to which the method provided in the embodiments of this application is applicable;

[0051] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the time domain location of the OD-SSB provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the time domain location of the OD-SSB provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0055] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in the embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0056] For ease of understanding, the technical terms involved in the embodiments of this application will be introduced below.

[0057] 1. Secondary cell (SCell):

[0058] In current communication systems, base stations can improve system capacity by configuring carrier aggregation (CA), which includes a primary carrier (PCC) and a secondary carrier (SCC). The cell corresponding to the PCC is called the primary cell (PCell), and the cell corresponding to the SCC is called the SCell.

[0059] After a SCell is added to the network via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, it needs to be activated via medium access control (MAC) information before the terminal and network-side equipment can transmit and receive data on these SCells. Specifically, after receiving the SCell activation command, the user equipment (UE) needs to complete processes such as automatic gain control (AGC) adjustment, cell search, and fine synchronization to access the SCell and then transmit and receive data within it. The UE performs these processes by measuring the synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block (SSB) sent by the base station.

[0060] SSB measurements can be performed on an SCell even before it receives an SCell activation command. Before receiving the SCell activation command, the SCell is in a deactivated state. The network can configure a measurement object (MeasObjectNR) for the UE, allowing the UE to measure deactivated SCells and their corresponding neighboring cells at the same frequency. This is commonly referred to as Layer 3 (L3) measurement. The network can configure parameters such as the SCell measurement cycle (measCycleSCell) in the measurement object configuration. When a deactivated SCell exists at the frequency indicated by the measurement object, the UE determines the measurement cycle based on the SCell measurement cycle, and then measures the deactivated SCell and its neighboring cells at that frequency.

[0061] The length of the SCell measurement period varies from 160ms to 1280ms. The UE selects the SSB-based measurement timing configuration (SMTC) for measurement based on the SCell measurement period. The longest SMTC period is 160ms, and the UE performs SSB measurement within the SMTC window.

[0062] 2. On-demand SSB (OD-SSB):

[0063] Traditional SSBs are transmitted at a fixed period, typically 20ms. Now, we discuss a new SSB transmission method, namely OD-SSB. The network can trigger SSBs on demand, and the configuration of SSBs can be more flexible. For example, Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the OD-SSB period provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, traditional SSBs are transmitted at a period of 20ms, while OD-SSBs can be triggered by the network, and the OD-SSB period can be 5ms, meaning the OD-SSB period can be different from the traditional SSB period. Of course, the OD-SSB period can also be the same as the traditional SSB period; there is no limitation on this.

[0064] The network can trigger OD-SSB through a specific MAC CE signaling (also known as MAC CE triggering signaling). This specific MAC CE signaling is used by the UE to determine the transmission time of the OD-SSB. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the OD-SSB triggering timing provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 2, the specific MAC CE signaling received by the UE is in the nth time slot, and the UE sends a hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledge character (HARQ-ACK) response in the n+mth time slot. The UE needs to start receiving the first OD-SSB at least in time slot T after receiving the specific MAC CE signaling. in Let u be the number of time slots contained in each subframe under the subcarrier spacing determined by u. The correspondence between u and the number of time slots contained in each subframe is shown in Table 1.

[0065] Table 1:

[0066] For example, as shown in Table 1, when u=0, a subframe has 1 time slot; when u=2, a subframe has 4 time slots.

[0067] Currently, OD-SSB is mainly used for SCell deactivation measurement and for the SCell activation process. However, the UE receives and processes OD-SSB based on the aforementioned timing constraints, without taking into account the complexity of the UE implementation, and cannot be applied to different services or scenarios.

[0068] To address the aforementioned technical problems, the embodiments of this application propose the following technical solutions.

[0069] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0070] In the embodiments of this application, "instruction" can include direct and indirect instructions, as well as explicit and implicit instructions. The information indicated by a certain piece of information is called the information to be instructed. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to instruct the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly instructing the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly instruct the information to be instructed by instructing other information, where there is a correlation between the other information and the information to be instructed. It can also instruct only a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-defined) arrangement of various pieces of information, thereby reducing instruction overhead to some extent. At the same time, common parts of various pieces of information can be identified and uniformly indicated to reduce the instruction overhead caused by individually indicating the same information.

[0071] Furthermore, the specific instruction method can also be any existing instruction method, such as, but not limited to, the above-mentioned instruction methods and their various combinations. As described above, for example, when multiple pieces of information of the same type need to be indicated, the instruction methods for different pieces of information may differ. In the specific implementation process, the required instruction method can be selected according to specific needs. This application embodiment does not limit the selected instruction method. Therefore, the instruction methods involved in this application embodiment should be understood to cover various methods that enable the party to be instructed to obtain the information to be indicated.

[0072] It should be understood that the information to be indicated can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information messages sent separately, and the sending period and / or timing of these sub-information messages can be the same or different. The specific sending method is not limited in this application embodiment. The sending period and / or timing of these sub-information messages can be predefined, for example, according to a protocol, or configured by the sending node device by sending configuration information to the receiving node device.

[0073] In this application, "sending information" can be understood as one device sending information to another device, or it can also be understood as one logical module within a device sending information to another logical module. For example, "network device sending information" can be understood as a network device sending information to another device (such as a terminal or other network device), or it can be understood as logical module 1 in the network device sending information to logical module 2 in the network device.

[0074] In this application, "receiving information" can be understood as one device receiving information from another device, or it can also be understood as a logical module within a device receiving information from another logical module. For example, "network device receiving information" can be understood as a network device receiving information from another device (such as a terminal or other network device), or it can be understood as logical module 1 in the network device receiving information from logical module 2 in the network device.

[0075] In this application, phrases such as "sending information to... (e.g., a terminal)" or related illustrations in the accompanying drawings can be understood as indicating that the destination of the information is a terminal. This can include sending information directly or indirectly to a terminal. Similarly, phrases such as "receiving information from... (e.g., a terminal)," "receiving information from... (e.g., a terminal)," or "receiving information sent by (e.g., a terminal)," or related illustrations in the accompanying drawings, can be understood as indicating that the source of the information is a terminal. This can include receiving information directly or indirectly from a terminal. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be interpreted similarly and will not be elaborated further here.

[0076] "Predefined" or "pre-configured" can be achieved by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables, or other means that can be used to indicate relevant information in the device. This application does not limit the specific implementation method. "Saving" can refer to saving in one or more memories. These memories can be separate installations or integrated into the encoder, decoder, processor, or communication device. Alternatively, some memories can be separately installed, while others are integrated into the decoder, processor, or communication device. The type of memory can be any form of storage medium, and this application does not limit this.

[0077] The “protocol” mentioned in the embodiments of this application may refer to a protocol family in the field of communication, a standard protocol with a similar protocol family frame structure, or a related protocol applied to future communication systems. The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

[0078] In the embodiments of this application, descriptions such as "when," "under the circumstances," "if," and "if" all refer to the device making corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances, and are not limited to a specific time. They do not require the device to make a judgment action during implementation, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0079] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can represent A or B. "And / or" in the embodiments of this application is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. Furthermore, in the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" refers to two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. Additionally, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish identical or similar items with essentially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first," "second," etc., do not limit the quantity or order of execution, and that "first," "second," etc., are not necessarily different. Furthermore, in the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is being used as an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or implementation described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or implementations. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner for ease of understanding.

[0080] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be applied to various communication systems, such as Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, fourth-generation (4G) mobile communication systems, such as long-term evolution (LTE) systems, worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication systems, fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication systems, such as new radio (NR) systems, and future communication systems.

[0081] The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0082] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application will be described in detail first using the communication system shown in FIG3 as an example. For example, FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system to which the method provided in the embodiments of this application is applicable.

[0083] As shown in Figure 3, the communication system mainly includes a terminal and network equipment. The network equipment covers multiple cells, including a primary cell and at least one secondary cell. For example, the at least one secondary cell includes secondary cell 1, secondary cell 2, ..., secondary cell n, where n is an integer greater than or equal to 1. Optionally, the terminal is located in the primary cell and moves towards a secondary cell; or, the terminal is located in any secondary cell and moves towards other secondary cells except for any one of them; or, the terminal is located outside the aforementioned primary cell and at least one secondary cell and moves towards any secondary cell. In the embodiments of this application, the secondary cell can be any one of the secondary cells associated with the terminal.

[0084] In one possible scenario, this communication system can be applied to 5G or future communication systems. For example, as shown in Figure 4, the communication system 10 includes a RAN 100, a core network (CN) 200, and an Internet 300. RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (as shown in Figure 4, 110a and 110b, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal device (as shown in Figure 4, 120a-120j, collectively referred to as 120). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 4). Terminal device 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wired connected to core network 200. The core network devices in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and wireless access network logical functions.

[0085] RAN 100 can be a 3GPP-related cellular system, such as a 4G or 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolution system (such as a future mobile communication system). RAN 100 can also be an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN, or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a Wi-Fi system. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0086] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, constitutes part of the communication system and is used to help terminal devices achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in communication system 10 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal device 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 4 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminal devices 120j accessing RAN 100 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; but for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal device. RAN node 110 and terminal device 120 are sometimes both referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 4 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal device functions.

[0087] In one possible scenario, the RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a next-generation base station in a future mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access point (AP) in a Wi-Fi system. The RAN node can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 4, 110a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 4, 110b), a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the RAN node can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The RAN node in this application can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the RAN node functions.

[0088] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist terminal devices in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes each implementing some of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be CUs, DUs, CUs (control plane, CP), CUs (user plane, UP), or radio units (RUs). CUs and DUs can be configured separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as RRUs, active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0089] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0090] It is understood that the RAN node mentioned above can be a newly defined name, and RAN nodes can also be described in different ways, such as access node, network device, wireless access node, etc., without limitation. Unless otherwise specified in this application, network device will be used as the term.

[0091] A terminal can be a terminal with transceiver capabilities, or it can be a chip or chip system installed in the terminal. The terminal can also be referred to as a UE, access terminal, subscriber unit, user station, mobile station (MS), mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user equipment. The terminals in the embodiments of this application may be mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, tablets, wireless data cards, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless modems, handsets, laptop computers, machine-type communication (MTC) terminals, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, virtual reality (VR) terminals, augmented reality (AR) terminals, smart home devices (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electricity meters, etc.), intelligent robots, robotic arms, workshop equipment, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical care, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, vehicle-mounted terminals, and roadside units with terminal functions. The terminal in this application can also be an onboard module, onboard unit, onboard component, onboard chip, or onboard unit that is built into a vehicle as one or more components or units. The terminal device can also be other devices with terminal functions; for example, it can be a device that functions as a terminal in D2D communication.

[0092] The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal. The device used to implement the functions of the terminal device can be the terminal device itself; it can also be a device that supports the terminal device in implementing the functions, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal device or used in conjunction with the terminal device. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of chips or can include chips and other discrete components.

[0093] In this embodiment of the application, the network element can also be referred to as an entity or functional entity.

[0094] The embodiments of this application can be applied to an ORAN system. For example, a first time interval is determined in the O-CU between sending a first signaling message and sending a first OD-SSB, wherein the first signaling message is used to instruct the terminal to receive the OD-SSB, and the first time interval is determined based on the duration for feeding back the first signaling message, a preset duration, and a processing duration. In some possible implementations, the above implementation in the O-CU can be implemented in the O-CU-CP or O-CU-UP. Furthermore, the first signaling message and the second signaling message are sent to the terminal via the DU and / or RU.

[0095] It is understood that Figures 3 and 4 above are simplified schematic diagrams for ease of understanding, and may also include other devices, modules or chips, etc., which are not shown in the figures.

[0096] In this communication system, network devices send a first signaling message to trigger an OD-SSB and send a first OD-SSB based on a first time interval. Correspondingly, terminals receive and process the first signaling message and the first OD-SSB based on the first time interval. This first time interval can be determined based on the processing duration, which can be understood as the time it takes for the terminal to process related events (such as activating a secondary cell and / or measuring a secondary cell). This processing duration can be determined based on the terminal's processing capabilities. Different processing capabilities can correspond to different terminal services or application scenarios. In other words, the terminal can have different times to receive the first signaling message / first OD-SSB under different terminal service or application scenarios. For example, the processing duration of the first OD-SSB in a scenario where it is used for secondary cell activation is shorter than the processing duration of the first OD-SSB in a scenario where it is used for measuring a secondary cell. The terminal can receive the first OD-SSB earlier to shorten the time required to activate the secondary cell. Therefore, the implementation of terminal receiving and processing OD-SSB is more flexible and can be applied to different terminal services or application scenarios.

[0097] The interaction process between various network elements / devices in the above communication system will be specifically described below with reference to Figure 5 and through method embodiments. The communication method provided in this application embodiment can be applied to the above communication system and specifically applied to various scenarios / processes mentioned in the above communication system, which will be described in detail below.

[0098] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. This communication method is applicable to the aforementioned communication system and mainly involves the interaction between terminals and network devices.

[0099] As shown in Figure 5, the flow of this communication method is as follows:

[0100] S501, the network device sends the first signaling to the terminal, and the terminal receives the first signaling from the network device accordingly.

[0101] The first signaling is used to instruct the terminal to receive the OD-SSB, or in other words, the first signaling is used to trigger the OD-SSB. The first signaling can be MAC CE signaling, or other signaling that can be used to instruct the terminal to receive the OD-SSB; there are no restrictions on this.

[0102] In this embodiment of the application, the time-frequency resources for the network device to send the first signaling and the time-frequency resources for the terminal to receive the first signaling are the same time-frequency resources.

[0103] In the embodiments of this application, the first signaling can also be replaced with other possible expressions, such as OD-SSB triggering signaling, triggering MAC CE, or first MAC CE signaling, etc., without limitation.

[0104] Alternatively, after receiving the first signaling, the terminal may send a response message to the network device, which indicates whether the terminal has successfully received the first signaling.

[0105] S502, the network device sends the first OD-SSB to the terminal after the first time interval, and correspondingly, the terminal receives the first OD-SSB from the network device after the first time interval.

[0106] The first OD-SSB can be triggered by network devices as needed, such as for measuring secondary cells and / or for activating secondary cells.

[0107] Optionally, after the first time interval, the network device may send a first OD-SSB to the terminal in the secondary cell or send the first OD-SSB of the secondary cell to the terminal. The first OD-SSB is used to measure the secondary cell and / or to activate the secondary cell. The secondary cell may replace the secondary cell described as the first OD-SSB, or the secondary cell in which the network device sends the first OD-SSB, or the secondary cell in which the terminal receives the first OD-SSB.

[0108] The first time interval is determined based on the duration used for feeding back the first signaling, the preset duration, and the processing duration. The first time interval may be greater than or equal to the sum of the duration used for feeding back the first signaling, the preset duration, and the processing duration.

[0109] The time unit (or simply unit) for the duration in the embodiments of this application can be a time slot or a symbol, etc., and is not limited thereto. For ease of description, this application uses time slots as the unit. For example, the duration for feeding back the first signaling is m time slots, where m is an integer greater than or equal to 1. Another example is that the first time interval is T time slots, where T is an integer greater than or equal to 1. It should be understood that the method for determining these T time slots is different from the method for determining T described in the example corresponding to Figure 2 above.

[0110] The duration for feeding back the first signaling message can be the interval between the terminal receiving the first signaling message and sending a response message to the network device. The response message indicates whether the terminal successfully received the first signaling message. The timing of the terminal sending the response message to the network device can be referred to the relevant description in the OD-SSB section of the above technical terminology. The response message can be HARQ-ACK or HARQ-NACK. HARQ-ACK indicates that the terminal successfully received the first signaling message, and HARQ-NACK indicates that the terminal did not successfully receive the first signaling message. For example, the network device sends a MAC CE to the terminal at time #1 to trigger OD-SSB, and the terminal feeds back a HARQ-ACK to the network device at time #2, that is, it feeds back to the network device that the terminal successfully received the MAC CE to trigger OD-SSB. The duration for feeding back the first signaling message is time #2 - time #1.

[0111] The preset duration can be a duration predefined by the protocol. For example, the preset duration can be referenced in the OD-SSB section of the above technical terminology for 3*. The description is omitted.

[0112] The processing time can be the additional time required by the terminal beyond the time used for feedback of the first signaling and the preset time. The processing time can be determined based on the network device's transmission of the first OD-SSB. For example, if the network device transmits the first OD-SSB in a secondary cell and the terminal receives the first OD-SSB in the secondary cell, the processing time can be determined based on at least one of the following: the state of the secondary cell where the network device transmits the first OD-SSB or the terminal receives the first OD-SSB (e.g., active or deactivated state), the temporal positional relationship between the first signaling and the second signaling used to activate the secondary cell, whether the network device needs to activate the secondary cell, whether the terminal perceives that the second signaling is used to activate the secondary cell, or the purpose of the first OD-SSB, etc. Specific methods for determining the processing time can be found in the following description and will not be elaborated here.

[0113] In this embodiment of the application, the time-frequency resources for the network device to send the first OD-SSB and the time-frequency resources for the terminal to receive the first OD-SSB are the same time-frequency resources.

[0114] In the embodiments of this application, the duration for feeding back the first signaling can also be replaced with other possible expressions, such as feedback duration, response duration, etc. The processing duration can also be replaced with other possible expressions, such as additional processing duration, additional duration, additional processing time, terminal processing duration, etc., and there is no limitation on this.

[0115] Thus, the network device sends a first signaling message to trigger an OD-SSB and sends a first OD-SSB based on a first time interval. Correspondingly, the terminal receives and processes the first signaling message and the first OD-SSB based on the first time interval. The first time interval can be determined based on the processing duration, which can be understood as the time it takes for the terminal to process related events (such as activating a secondary cell and / or measuring a secondary cell). This processing duration can be determined based on the terminal's processing capabilities. Different processing capabilities can correspond to different terminal services or application scenarios. That is, the terminal can have different times to receive the first signaling message / first OD-SSB under different terminal service or application scenarios. For example, the processing duration of the first OD-SSB in the scenario of activating a secondary cell is shorter than the processing duration of the first OD-SSB in the scenario of measuring a secondary cell. The terminal can receive the first OD-SSB earlier to shorten the time to activate the secondary cell. Therefore, the implementation of the terminal receiving and processing OD-SSB is more flexible and can be applied to different terminal services or application scenarios.

[0116] The overall flow of the communication method provided in this application has been described above. It is understood that the processing time in the above flow can vary depending on different situations / scenarios. For example, if the first OD-SSB is used for measuring a secondary cell in a deactivated state, because the measurement task is not urgent, or the processing priority of the OD-SSB used for measurement is low, the processing time can be relatively long; for example, the processing time can be set to X1. As another example, if the first OD-SSB is used to activate a secondary cell, because the activation task is urgent, or the processing priority of the OD-SSB used to activate the secondary cell is high, the processing time can be relatively short or 0; for example, the processing time can be set to X2, where X2 is less than X1 and X2 is greater than or equal to 0. It can also be understood that the processing time can be determined according to the purpose of the first OD-SSB, and different processing times can be determined based on different purposes of the first OD-SSB.

[0117] The following describes method 1 and / or method 2 for network devices to determine the above processing time.

[0118] Method 1: The network device determines the processing time based on the temporal positional relationship between the first signaling and the second signaling.

[0119] The second signaling is used to activate the secondary cell. This secondary cell is the one to which the network device sends the first OD-SSB. The second signaling can be MAC CE signaling, or other signaling that can be used to activate the secondary cell; there is no limitation on this. In the embodiments of this application, the second signaling can also be replaced with other possible expressions, such as secondary cell activation signaling, SCell activation command, second MAC CE signaling, etc.; there is no limitation on this.

[0120] In one possible implementation, when the network device determines to send the first OD-SSB, it checks whether the secondary cell sending the first OD-SSB is in an active state. If the secondary cell sending the first OD-SSB is in a deactivated state, or in other words, the secondary cell receiving the first OD-SSB is in a deactivated state, the network device sends a second signaling message to the terminal, and the terminal receives the second signaling message from the network device accordingly.

[0121] Optionally, the relationship between the time domain position of the network device sending the first signaling and the time domain position of sending the second signaling can be set as needed. The processing time can be determined based on the time domain position relationship between the first and second signaling. The time domain position relationship between the first and second signaling is the relationship between the time the network device sends the first signaling and the time it sends the second signaling, or in other words, the relationship between the time the terminal receives the first signaling and the time it receives the second signaling.

[0122] In this application, the temporal positional relationship between the first signaling and the second signaling may include the first signaling being positioned before the second signaling, or the first signaling being positioned after the second signaling, or the first signaling being positioned at the same time as the second signaling, etc., without limitation. The temporal positional relationship between the first signaling and the second signaling may further reflect the purpose of the first OD-SSB, such as whether the first OD-SSB is used to measure secondary cells, to activate secondary cells, or to both measure and activate secondary cells.

[0123] Optionally, if the time domain position of the first signaling is before the time domain position of the second signaling, the processing time is X1.

[0124] If the network device sends the first signaling before sending the second signaling, that is, the network device sends the first signaling first and then the second signaling, and the terminal receives the first signaling first and then the second signaling, then the terminal does not realize (or cannot realize) that the first OD-SSB is sent to activate the secondary cell. It can also be understood that the first OD-SSB is not used to activate the secondary cell, so the processing time can be longer than X1.

[0125] Optionally, if the time domain position of the first signaling is after the time domain position of the second signaling and the time interval between the time domain positions of the first signaling and the second signaling is less than or equal to the first threshold, the processing time is X1.

[0126] If the network device sends the first signaling after sending the second signaling, and the time interval between sending the second signaling and sending the first signaling is less than or equal to the first threshold, then the terminal will not have time to perceive that the first OD-SSB is sent to activate the secondary cell. If the terminal has not yet parsed out that the second signaling is used to activate the secondary cell, it is equivalent to the terminal not perceiving (or being unable to perceive) that the first OD-SSB is used to activate the secondary cell. It can also be understood that the first OD-SSB is not used to activate the secondary cell. Therefore, the processing time can be longer than X1.

[0127] Thus, when the latency requirement for the terminal to receive the first OD-SSB is not high, such as when the first OD-SSB is used to measure the secondary cell instead of activating it, determining a longer processing time X1 can ensure that the terminal has sufficient processing time and can also have limited time to process other higher priority tasks, thereby improving communication performance.

[0128] Optionally, if the time domain position of the first signaling is the same as the time domain position of the second signaling, or if the time domain position of the first signaling is after the time domain position of the second signaling and the time interval between the time domain positions of the first signaling and the second signaling is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the processing time is X2; wherein X1 is greater than 0, X2 is greater than or equal to 0, and X1 is greater than X2.

[0129] If the network device sends the first signaling message simultaneously with the second signaling message, meaning the terminal receives both simultaneously, and if the first and second signaling messages are in the same MAC layer protocol data unit (PDU), then the terminal perceives (or is able to perceive) that the first OD-SSB is sent to activate the secondary cell. This can also be understood as the first OD-SSB being used to activate the secondary cell, so the processing time can be twice the shorter duration. Alternatively, if the network device sends the first signaling message after sending the second signaling message, and the time interval between sending the second and first signaling messages is greater than or equal to the second threshold, then the terminal has enough time to perceive that the first OD-SSB is sent to activate the secondary cell. If the terminal has sufficient time to parse the second signaling message to determine that it is used to activate the secondary cell, this is equivalent to the terminal perceiving (or being able to perceive) that the first OD-SSB is used to activate the secondary cell. This can also be understood as the first OD-SSB being used to activate the secondary cell, so the processing time can be twice the shorter duration. X2 can be 0, meaning the terminal does not need additional processing time. The first time interval is determined based on the duration used to feed back the first signaling message and a preset duration. Thus, when the latency requirement for the terminal to receive the first OD-SSB is high, the terminal can receive the first OD-SSB earlier, thereby shortening the latency for activating the secondary cell.

[0130] The first and second thresholds can be predefined values, indicated by the terminal, or configured by the network device itself. The first and second thresholds can be the same or different; there is no restriction on this.

[0131] Optionally, if the time domain position of the first signaling precedes the time domain position of the second signaling, the processing time is X1. If the time domain position of the first signaling is the same as the time domain position of the second signaling, or if the time domain position of the first signaling is after the time domain position of the second signaling, the processing time is X2. Where X1 is greater than 0, X2 is greater than or equal to 0, and X1 is greater than X2. That is, there is no need to additionally determine the relationship between the time interval between sending the second signaling and sending the first signaling and the aforementioned first threshold and / or second threshold; the processing time can be determined solely by the order of the time domain positions of the first and second signaling. Thus, determining the processing time through a simple judgment method achieves greater efficiency and speed.

[0132] Method 2: The network device determines the processing time based on the terminal's measurement status.

[0133] In one possible implementation, the secondary cell in which the network device sends the first OD-SSB is in a deactivated state; or, in other words, the secondary cell in which the terminal receives the first OD-SSB is in a deactivated state. The processing time is determined based on the terminal's measurement status. Here, the terminal's measurement status can be the state or condition of the deactivated secondary cell as measured by the terminal.

[0134] Optionally, the measurement status of the terminal may include at least one of the following: whether the measurement of the frequency point corresponding to the secondary cell has been started, whether the measurement of the secondary cell needs to share measurement resources with the measurement of other frequency points besides the above-mentioned frequency points, or whether the measurement of the frequency band where the secondary cell is located has been started.

[0135] Whether measurement of the frequency corresponding to the secondary cell has been initiated can be determined based on whether the terminal has always-on SSB enabled on the frequency corresponding to the secondary cell, and whether the terminal is configured to perform measurement of the frequency corresponding to the secondary cell. Whether the measurement of the secondary cell needs to share measurement resources with measurements of other frequencies can be determined based on the number of frequencies / MOs configured for measurement on the terminal. Whether measurement of the frequency band where the secondary cell is located has been initiated can be determined based on whether there is an active cell (or serving cell) in the frequency band where the secondary cell is located, or the MO being measured. The processing time is determined based on at least one of the above-mentioned measurement statuses of the terminal, enabling greater flexibility.

[0136] If the terminal's measurement status includes at least one of the following: measurement of the frequency point corresponding to the secondary cell has not been started, measurement of the secondary cell needs to share measurement resources with measurement of other frequency points, or measurement of the frequency band (band) where the secondary cell is located has not been started, then the processing time is X1.

[0137] If the terminal does not initiate measurement on the frequency corresponding to the secondary cell, the terminal needs additional processing time to initiate the measurement on the frequency corresponding to the secondary cell, so the processing time is longer than X1. For example, if the terminal always enables SSB on the frequency corresponding to the secondary cell, the terminal cannot configure the measurement on the frequency corresponding to the secondary cell, indicating that the terminal has not initiated the measurement on the frequency corresponding to the secondary cell.

[0138] If measurements of a secondary cell need to share measurement resources with measurements of other frequency points, then due to the limited processing resources of the terminal, it may be necessary to plan multi-frequency point measurements, requiring additional processing time for the terminal. Therefore, the processing time can be a relatively long x1. For example, if the number of frequency points configured for measurement / the number of MOs is greater than the third threshold, then measurements of the secondary cell need to share measurement resources with measurements of other frequency points. The third threshold can be predefined, indicated by the terminal, or configured by the network device itself. The third threshold can be a typical value of 2, or other values; there are no restrictions on this.

[0139] If the terminal does not initiate measurements in the frequency band of the secondary cell, the terminal needs additional processing time to initiate measurements in the frequency band corresponding to the secondary cell, so the processing time is longer than X1. For example, if there is no active cell (or serving cell) or no MO to measure in the frequency band of the secondary cell, the terminal will not initiate measurements in the frequency band of the secondary cell.

[0140] Alternatively, if the terminal's measurement status includes at least one of the following: measurement of the frequency point corresponding to the secondary cell has been started, measurement of the secondary cell does not need to share measurement resources with measurement of other frequency points, measurement of the frequency band where the secondary cell is located has been started, or information indicating that the measurement of the secondary cell is of high priority has been received, then the processing time is X2.

[0141] If the terminal has already started measurement on the frequency corresponding to the secondary cell, then the terminal does not need additional processing time to start measurement on the frequency corresponding to the secondary cell. Therefore, the processing time can be a short X2, or the terminal does not need additional processing time, i.e., X2 is 0. For example, if the terminal always enables SSB on the frequency corresponding to the secondary cell, and the terminal is configured to measure the frequency corresponding to the secondary cell, then it means that the terminal is already performing measurement on the frequency corresponding to the secondary cell.

[0142] If the measurements of the secondary cell do not need to share measurement resources with measurements of other frequency points, the terminal does not need to replan multi-frequency point measurements. Therefore, the processing time can be a shorter X2, or the terminal does not need additional processing time, i.e., X2 is 0. For example, if the number of frequency points configured for measurement / the number of MOs is less than or equal to the third threshold, the measurements of the secondary cell do not need to share measurement resources with measurements of other frequency points.

[0143] If the terminal has already started measurement in the frequency band of the secondary cell, the processing time can be a shorter X2. For example, if there is an active cell (or serving cell) or a measured MO in the frequency band of the secondary cell, the terminal has already started measurement in the frequency band of the secondary cell.

[0144] If the terminal receives information indicating that the measurement of the secondary cell is of high priority, such as the terminal receiving an indication from the network device indicating that the terminal receives the measurement of the secondary cell of the first OD-SSB as of high priority, then the terminal does not need additional processing time, or the processing time can be a shorter x2.

[0145] Thus, when the measurement status of the terminal indicates that it requires a longer additional processing time, determining a longer processing time X1 ensures that the terminal has sufficient processing time, improving communication performance. Conversely, when the measurement status of the terminal indicates that it does not require additional processing time or requires a shorter processing time, determining a shorter processing time X2 can reduce the latency of the secondary measurement cell.

[0146] It is understood that the two methods described above for determining processing time by network devices can be used individually or in combination. Optionally, the network device determines the processing time based on the temporal positional relationship between the first and second signaling messages, and the measurement status of the terminal. For example, after determining the processing time as X1 based on the temporal positional relationship between the first and second signaling messages, the network device needs to further determine whether the processing time is X1 based on the measurement status of the terminal. If the network device further determines the processing time as X1 based on the measurement status of the terminal, then the final processing time is X1; if the network device further determines the processing time as X2 based on the measurement status of the terminal, then the final processing time is X2.

[0147] For example, condition 1 is that the time domain position of the first signaling is before the time domain position of the second signaling, or the time domain position of the first signaling is after the time domain position of the second signaling and the time interval between the time domain positions of the first and second signaling is less than or equal to a first threshold. Condition 2 is at least one of the following: measurement of the frequency point corresponding to the secondary cell has not been initiated, the measurement of the secondary cell needs to share measurement resources with the measurement of other frequency points, or measurement of the frequency band where the secondary cell is located has not been initiated. If both conditions 1 and 2 are satisfied, the processing time is X1. If condition 1 is satisfied but condition 2 is not satisfied, the processing time is X2.

[0148] It is understandable that the network device and the terminal determine the processing time in the same way. For example, if the terminal detects the first signaling and the second signaling in a blind detection, it determines the processing time based on the temporal positional relationship between the first signaling and the second signaling and / or the measurement status of the terminal, and then determines the first time interval, and receives the first OD-SSB after the first time interval.

[0149] The following describes how network devices use the first time interval in different scenarios.

[0150] Scenario 1: The network device determines the time to send the first signaling based on the first time interval.

[0151] Based on the first time interval T and the time T2 when the first OD-SSB is sent, the network device determines that the first signaling needs to be sent T hours earlier than time T2. That is, the interval between the time T1 and T2 when the first signaling is sent is determined to be T = T2 - T1. It can be understood that Case 1 can be applied to scenarios where the time domain position of the first OD-SSB is relatively certain, that is, the network device has determined the time to send the first OD-SSB.

[0152] In the embodiments of this application, the time of sending the first signaling can also be referred to as the time domain position of the first signaling, and the time of sending the first OD-SSB can also be referred to as the time domain position of the first OD-SSB, without any limitation.

[0153] For example, Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the time-domain location of the OD-SSB provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 6(a), the time-domain location of the first OD-SSB is relatively determined, and the network device, according to the first time interval T, such as It is determined that a MAC CE (i.e., the first signaling) to trigger the first OD-SSB needs to be sent in advance by T, that is, the time for sending this MAC CE is determined to be T1. Where m and Please refer to the relevant descriptions in the OD-SSB section of the above technical terminology; they will not be repeated here.

[0154] The network device can also determine the time to send the second signaling based on the first time interval. For example, if the network device sends the first signaling and the second signaling at the same time, the network device can determine that the second signaling needs to be sent T time earlier than T2 based on the first time interval T and the time T2 when the first OD-SSB is sent.

[0155] For example, as shown in Figure 6(b), the time-domain position of the first OD-SSB is relatively determined. When the network device triggers and simultaneously sends MAC CE#1 (i.e., the first signaling) to trigger the first OD-SSB and MAC CE#2 (i.e., the second signaling) to activate the secondary cell that sent the first OD-SSB, the network device expects the terminal's processing time to be shorter because the terminal can perceive that the first OD-SSB is for secondary cell activation. The network device can determine the processing time based on the first time interval T, such as... It is determined that MAC CE#1 and MAC CE#2 need to be sent in advance by T, that is, the time to send MAC CE#1 and MAC CE#2 is determined to be T1. Where m and Please refer to the relevant descriptions in the OD-SSB section of the above technical terminology; they will not be repeated here.

[0156] By comparing Figure 6(a) and (b), it can be seen that the processing time X2 in Figure 6(b) is shorter than the processing time X1 in Figure 6(a). In Figure 6(b), the network device sends MAC CE#1 and MAC CE#2 closer to the OD-SSB, which shortens the processing latency of the first OD-SSB. In the scenario where the first OD-SSB is used to activate the secondary cell, the latency of activating the secondary cell is shortened.

[0157] Optionally, the first time interval can be greater than or equal to the sum of the duration used for feedback of the first signaling, the preset duration, and the processing duration. That is, the network device determines, based on this sum T and the time T2 when the first OD-SSB is sent, that the first signaling needs to be sent at least T before time T2. In other words, the interval (T2-T1) between the times T1 and T2 when the first signaling is sent can be greater than or equal to T. Thus, the implementation of sending the first signaling is more flexible while ensuring sufficient processing time for the terminal.

[0158] Scenario 2: The network device determines the time to send the first OD-SSB based on the first time interval.

[0159] The network device determines the duration T after which it needs to send the first OD-SSB, starting from time T1, based on the first time interval T and the time T1 at which the first signaling is sent.

[0160] In one possible implementation, the first time interval is the shortest time interval between the network device sending the first signaling and sending the first OD-SSB; or, in other words, the first time interval is the shortest time interval between the terminal receiving the first signaling and receiving the first OD-SSB. That is, the interval between the terminal receiving the first signaling and receiving the first OD-SSB can be the aforementioned first time interval, or it can be greater than the aforementioned first time interval. The terminal receiving the first OD-SSB after the first time interval can be at some time after the first time interval. For example, the network device sends the first signaling at time T1 and sends the first OD-SSB at time T2, which is after the first time interval T, where T2-T1 = T, or T2-T1 > T.

[0161] If the interval between the terminal receiving the first signaling and receiving the first OD-SSB is greater than the aforementioned first time interval, the first signaling is also used to indicate the time domain location of the terminal receiving the first OD-SSB. That is, the network device can indicate the time domain location of the first OD-SSB or the time of sending the first OD-SSB to the terminal through the first signaling, so that the terminal can receive the first OD-SSB more accurately.

[0162] Optionally, the first time interval T can also be greater than the sum of the duration used for feeding back the first signaling, the preset duration, and the processing duration. That is, after the network device sends the first signaling at time T1, it sends the first OD-SSB at some time after time T2, where T2-T1>T. Thus, the first signaling is also used to indicate the time-domain location at which the terminal receives the first OD-SSB. For example, in scenarios where there are multiple candidate time-domain locations for the first OD-SSB, or multiple candidate OD-SSB time-domain locations, the network device can determine the time-domain location of the first OD-SSB from among the multiple candidate time-domain locations / multiple candidate OD-SSB time-domain locations based on the time of sending the first signaling and the first time interval. The time-domain location of the first OD-SSB can be the candidate time-domain location that is after T2 and closest to T2 among the multiple candidate time-domain locations.

[0163] For example, Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the time domain location of the OD-SSB provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 7(a), the first OD-SSB has multiple candidate time domain locations, including location #1, location #2, and location #3. The network device sends the MAC CE (i.e., the first signaling) for triggering the first OD-SSB at the time T1 and the first time interval T, as follows: Determine time T2, such as T2-T1=T. Thus, the network device determines to send the first OD-SSB at position #2, where position #2 is the candidate time-domain position closest to T2 after T2 from among multiple candidate time-domain positions. Where m and... The relevant descriptions of the OD-SSB section in the above technical terminology can be referred to, and will not be repeated here. This ensures that the terminal has sufficient processing time and minimizes the delay between sending the first signaling and sending the first OD-SSB.

[0164] When a network device simultaneously sends a first signaling and a second signaling, it can send the first OD-SSB with a shorter processing time after sending the first and second signaling. For example, as shown in Figure 7(b), the first OD-SSB has multiple candidate time-domain positions, including position #1, position #2, and position #3. When the network device triggers simultaneous transmission of MAC CE#1 (i.e., the first signaling) to trigger the first OD-SSB and MAC CE#2 (i.e., the second signaling) to activate the secondary cell sending the first OD-SSB, since the terminal can perceive that the first OD-SSB is for secondary cell activation, the network device expects a shorter processing time for the terminal. The network device can then determine the processing time based on the time T1 of sending MAC CE#1 and MAC CE#2, and the first time interval T, such as... Determine time T2, such as T2-T1=T. Therefore, the network device determines to send the first OD-SSB at position #2, where position #2 is the candidate time-domain position closest to T2 among multiple candidate time-domain positions. Where m and 3* Please refer to the relevant descriptions in the OD-SSB section of the above technical terminology; they will not be repeated here.

[0165] By comparing Figure 7(a) and (b), it can be seen that the processing time X2 in Figure 7(b) is shorter than the processing time X1 in Figure 7(a). The network device in Figure 7(b) sends the first OD-SSB in a shorter time after sending MAC CE#1 and MAC CE#2. That is, the network device can send the first OD-SSB earlier, which shortens the latency of the terminal receiving and processing the first OD-SSB. For example, in the scenario where the first OD-SSB is used to activate the secondary cell, the latency of activating the secondary cell is shortened.

[0166] It is understood that the above-mentioned possible implementation methods can be used individually or in combination, and there are no restrictions on this.

[0167] The method provided by the embodiments of this application has been described in detail above with reference to FIG. 5. The communication apparatus used to perform the communication method provided by the embodiments of this application is described in detail below with reference to FIG. 8-9.

[0168] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. As exemplarily shown in Figure 8, the communication device 800 includes a transceiver module 801 and a processing module 802. For ease of explanation, Figure 8 only shows the main components of the communication device.

[0169] The transceiver module 801 is used to perform the transceiver function of the method shown in Figure 5 above, and the processing module 802 is used to perform other functions of the method shown in Figure 5 above besides the transceiver function.

[0170] Optionally, the transceiver module 801 may include a transmitting module (not shown in FIG8) and a receiving module (not shown in FIG8). The transmitting module is used to implement the transmitting function of the communication device 800, and the receiving module is used to implement the receiving function of the communication device 800.

[0171] Optionally, the communication device 800 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG8) that stores programs or instructions. When the processing module 802 executes the program or instructions, the communication device 800 can perform the functions of the terminal or network device in the method shown in FIG5 above.

[0172] It is understood that the communication device 800 may be a terminal or network device, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly that can be set in the terminal or network device, or a device that includes the terminal or network device. This application does not limit this.

[0173] Furthermore, the technical effects of the communication device 800 can be referred to the technical effects of the communication method shown in Figure 5, and will not be repeated here.

[0174] Figure 9 is a second schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Exemplarily, the communication device can be a terminal, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly that can be disposed in the terminal. As shown in Figure 9, the communication device 900 may include a processor 901. Optionally, the communication device 900 may also include a memory 902 and / or a transceiver 903. The processor 901 is coupled to the memory 902 and / or the transceiver 903, for example, by means of a communication bus, an internal chip interface, or other communication lines. Optionally, the memory 902 may be integrated with the processor 901.

[0175] The following section, with reference to Figure 9, provides a detailed description of each component of the communication device 900:

[0176] The processor 901 is the control center of the communication device 900. It can be a single processor or a collective term for multiple processing elements. For example, the processor 901 can be one or more central processing units (CPUs), or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of this application, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

[0177] Optionally, the processor 901 can perform various functions of the communication device 900 by running or executing software programs stored in the memory 902 and calling data stored in the memory 902, such as performing the communication method shown in FIG5 above.

[0178] In a specific implementation, as one example, processor 901 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 shown in FIG9.

[0179] In a specific implementation, as one embodiment, the communication device 900 may also include multiple processors, such as processors 901 and 904 shown in FIG. 9. Each of these processors may be a single-core processor (single-CPU) or a multi-core processor (multi-CPU). Here, a processor may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores used to process data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0180] The memory 902 is used to store the software program that executes the solution of this application, and is controlled by the processor 901 to execute it. The specific implementation method can be referred to the above method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0181] Optionally, the memory 902 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and instructions, or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but not limited thereto. The memory 902 may be integrated with the processor 901 or may exist independently and be coupled to the processor 901 through the interface circuit of the communication device 900 (not shown in FIG. 9). This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0182] Transceiver 903 is used for communication with other communication devices. For example, if communication device 900 is a terminal, transceiver 903 can be used to communicate with a network device or with another terminal device. As another example, if communication device 900 is a network device, transceiver 903 can be used to communicate with a terminal or with another network device.

[0183] Optionally, transceiver 903 may include a receiver and a transmitter (not shown separately in Figure 9). The receiver is used to implement the receiving function, and the transmitter is used to implement the transmitting function.

[0184] Optionally, the transceiver 903 can be integrated with the processor 901 or exist independently and be coupled to the processor 901 through the interface circuit of the communication device 900 (not shown in FIG9). This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0185] It is understood that the structure of the communication device 900 shown in Figure 9 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. The actual communication device may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0186] Furthermore, the technical effects of the communication device 900 can be referred to the technical effects of the method described in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0187] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or it can be other general-purpose processors, DSPs, ASICs, FPGAs, or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0188] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can be ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), EEPROM, or flash memory. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0189] The above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, by software, hardware (such as circuits), firmware, or any other combination thereof. When implemented using software, the above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer programs are loaded or executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more sets of available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium. A semiconductor medium can be a solid-state drive.

[0190] It should be understood that the term "and / or" in this article is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. A and B can be singular or plural. Additionally, the character " / " in this article generally indicates an "or" relationship between the preceding and following related objects, but it can also represent an "and / or" relationship. Please refer to the context for a more accurate understanding.

[0191] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0192] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the order of the above-mentioned processes does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0193] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0194] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0195] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0196] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0197] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0198] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes all the various possible memories described above.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive the first signaling, which is used to instruct the terminal to receive the on-demand synchronization signal block OD-SSB; The first OD-SSB is received after the first time interval, which is determined based on the duration for feeding back the first signaling, a preset duration, and a processing duration.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The terminal receives a secondary cell from the first OD-SSB that is in a deactivated state; the method further includes: A second signaling is received, which is used to activate the secondary cell; the processing time is determined based on the temporal positional relationship between the first signaling and the second signaling.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, When the time domain position of the first signaling is before the time domain position of the second signaling, or when the time domain position of the first signaling is after the time domain position of the second signaling and the time interval between the time domain positions of the first signaling and the second signaling is less than or equal to a first threshold, the processing time is X1. When the time domain position of the first signaling is the same as the time domain position of the second signaling, or when the time domain position of the first signaling is after the time domain position of the second signaling and the time interval between the time domain positions of the first signaling and the second signaling is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the processing time is X2. Among them, X1 is greater than 0, X2 is greater than or equal to 0, and X1 is greater than X2.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, When the time domain position of the first signaling is before the time domain position of the second signaling, or when the time domain position of the first signaling is after the time domain position of the second signaling and the time interval between the time domain positions of the first signaling and the second signaling is less than or equal to a first threshold, the processing time is X1. When the time domain position of the first signaling is the same as the time domain position of the second signaling, or when the time domain position of the first signaling is after the time domain position of the second signaling and the time interval between the time domain positions of the first signaling and the second signaling is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the processing time is X2. Where X1 is greater than 0 and X2 is equal to 0.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The terminal receives a message from the first OD-SSB indicating that the secondary cell is in a deactivated state, and the processing time is determined based on the terminal's measurement status.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The measurement status of the terminal includes at least one of the following: whether the measurement of the frequency point corresponding to the secondary cell has been started, whether the measurement of the secondary cell needs to share measurement resources with the measurement of other frequency points besides the frequency point, or whether the measurement of the frequency band where the secondary cell is located has been started.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, If the terminal's measurement status includes at least one of the following: measurement of the frequency point corresponding to the secondary cell has not been started, measurement of the secondary cell needs to share measurement resources with measurement of other frequency points, or measurement of the frequency band where the secondary cell is located has not been started, then the processing time is X1; or, If the measurement status of the terminal includes at least one of the following: measurement of the frequency point corresponding to the secondary cell has been started, the measurement of the secondary cell does not need to share measurement resources with the measurement of other frequency points, or measurement of the frequency band where the secondary cell is located has been started, then the processing time is X2; Among them, X1 is greater than 0, X2 is greater than or equal to 0, and X1 is greater than X2.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The first time interval is the shortest time interval between receiving the first signaling and receiving the first OD-SSB. The first signaling is also used to indicate the time domain location at which the terminal receives the first OD-SSB.

9. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Send a first signaling instruction, which instructs the terminal to receive the on-demand synchronization signal block OD-SSB; The first OD-SSB is sent after the first time interval, which is determined based on the duration for feeding back the first signaling, a preset duration, and a processing duration.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The terminal receives a secondary cell from the first OD-SSB that is in a deactivated state; the method further includes: A second signaling message is sent to activate the secondary cell; the processing duration is determined based on the temporal positional relationship between the first signaling message and the second signaling message.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, When the time domain position of the first signaling is before the time domain position of the second signaling, or when the time domain position of the first signaling is after the time domain position of the second signaling and the time interval between the time domain positions of the first signaling and the second signaling is less than or equal to a first threshold, the processing time is X1. When the time domain position of the first signaling is the same as the time domain position of the second signaling, or when the time domain position of the first signaling is after the time domain position of the second signaling and the time interval between the time domain positions of the first signaling and the second signaling is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the processing time is X2. Among them, X1 is greater than 0, X2 is greater than or equal to 0, and X1 is greater than X2.

12. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, When the time domain position of the first signaling is before the time domain position of the second signaling, or when the time domain position of the first signaling is after the time domain position of the second signaling and the time interval between the time domain positions of the first signaling and the second signaling is less than or equal to a first threshold, the processing time is X1. When the time domain position of the first signaling is the same as the time domain position of the second signaling, or when the time domain position of the first signaling is after the time domain position of the second signaling and the time interval between the time domain positions of the first signaling and the second signaling is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the processing time is X2. Where X1 is greater than 0 and X2 is equal to 0.

13. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The terminal receives a message from the first OD-SSB indicating that the secondary cell is in a deactivated state, and the processing time is determined based on the terminal's measurement status.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The measurement status of the terminal includes at least one of the following: whether the measurement of the frequency point corresponding to the secondary cell has been started, whether the measurement of the secondary cell needs to share measurement resources with the measurement of other frequency points besides the frequency point, or whether the measurement of the frequency band where the secondary cell is located has been started.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, If the terminal's measurement status includes at least one of the following: measurement of the frequency point corresponding to the secondary cell has not been started, measurement of the secondary cell needs to share measurement resources with measurement of other frequency points, or measurement of the frequency band where the secondary cell is located has not been started, then the processing time is X1; or, If the measurement status of the terminal includes at least one of the following: measurement of the frequency point corresponding to the secondary cell has been started, the measurement of the secondary cell does not need to share measurement resources with the measurement of other frequency points, or measurement of the frequency band where the secondary cell is located has been started, then the processing time is X2; Among them, X1 is greater than 0, X2 is greater than or equal to 0, and X1 is greater than X2.

16. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 15, characterized in that, The first time interval is the shortest time interval between sending the first signaling and sending the first OD-SSB. The first signaling is also used to indicate the time domain location at which the terminal receives the first OD-SSB.

17. A communication device, characterized in that, The apparatus includes: a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1-8, or a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 9-16.

18. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processing unit and a storage unit; the storage unit is used to store computer instructions, which, when executed by the processing unit, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1-8 to be executed, or cause the method as described in any one of claims 9-16 to be executed.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1-8, or cause the computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 9-16.

20. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1-8 to be performed, or cause the method as described in any one of claims 9-16 to be performed.

Images