Determination method, communication device, communication system, and storage medium

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a determination method, a communication device, a communication system, and a storage medium. The method comprises: receiving a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) sent by a network device; determining a first period on the basis of related information of a predetermined signal in the first PDCCH; and determining that the monitoring period of a second PDCCH is the first period, wherein the second PDCCH includes a PDCCH subsequent to the first PDCCH. The method of the present disclosure can reduce the switching delay between PDCCH monitoring periods, improve the switching efficiency of the PDCCH monitoring periods, and enable a terminal to meet more scheduling scenarios.

Description

Determine the method, communication equipment, communication system, and storage medium. Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to determination methods, communication devices, communication systems, and storage media. Background Technology

[0002] In the communication system, a Search Space Set Group Switching (SSSG) mechanism is introduced. Optionally, network devices can configure multiple Search Space Set Groups (SSSGs) for terminals. Each SSSG contains a set of search spaces for listening to the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). The PDCCH listening frequency is different in different SSSGs, and switching between different SSSGs can be performed based on the terminal's communication needs. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This disclosure proposes a method for determining communication equipment, a communication system, and a storage medium.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a determination method is proposed, executed by a terminal, the method comprising: receiving a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) sent by a network device; determining a first period based on relevant information of predetermined signals in the first PDCCH; determining a listening period of a second PDCCH as the first period; wherein the second PDCCH includes PDCCHs following the first PDCCH.

[0005] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a determination method is provided, performed by a network device, the method comprising: sending a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) to a terminal, wherein relevant information of predetermined signals in the first PDCCH is used to determine a first period, the first period being a listening period of a second PDCCH, and the second PDCCH including PDCCHs following the first PDCCH.

[0006] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a terminal is provided, comprising: a transceiver module for receiving a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) sent by a network device; a processing module for determining a first period based on relevant information of a predetermined signal in the first PDCCH; the processing module is further configured to determine that the listening period of a second PDCCH is the first period; wherein the second PDCCH includes PDCCHs following the first PDCCH.

[0007] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a network device is provided, comprising: a transceiver module, configured to transmit a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) to a terminal, wherein relevant information of predetermined signals in the first PDCCH is used to determine a first period, the first period being a listening period of a second PDCCH, and the second PDCCH including PDCCHs following the first PDCCH.

[0008] According to a fifth aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a communication device is provided, comprising:

[0009] One or more processors;

[0010] The processor is configured to invoke instructions to cause the communication device to execute any of the determination methods described in the first or second aspect.

[0011] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, including a terminal and a network device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the determination method described in the first aspect, and the network device is configured to implement the determination method described in the second aspect.

[0012] According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a storage medium is provided that stores instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform a determination method as described in any of the first to second aspects.

[0013] According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, the present disclosure provides a program product including a computer program that, when executed by a communication device, implements the determination method as described in any of the first to second aspects.

[0014] According to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, the present disclosure provides a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform a determination method as described in any of the first to second aspects.

[0015] It is understood that the aforementioned terminals, network devices, communication devices, communication systems, storage media, program products, and computer programs are all used to execute the methods proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects they can achieve can be referred to the beneficial effects in the corresponding methods, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent and readily understood from the following description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0017] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of the architecture of some communication systems provided in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0018] Figure 1B is a schematic diagram of SSSG switching according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 2 is an interactive schematic diagram of a determination method provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0020] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating the determination method provided in another embodiment of this disclosure;

[0021] Figure 4A is a flowchart illustrating the determination method provided in another embodiment of this disclosure;

[0022] Figure 4B is a schematic flowchart illustrating the implicit indication of SSSG switching according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 4C is a schematic diagram of SSSG switching according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0025] Figure 5B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0026] Figure 6A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0027] Figure 6B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0028] This disclosure provides a determination method, communication device, communication system, and storage medium.

[0029] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure propose a determination method executed by a terminal, the method comprising: receiving a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) sent by a network device; determining a first period based on relevant information of a predetermined signal in the first PDCCH; determining the listening period of a second PDCCH as the first period; wherein the second PDCCH includes PDCCHs following the first PDCCH.

[0030] In the above embodiments, when configuring the terminal to switch the PDCCH listening period, the network device can indicate the listening period of the subsequent PDCCH based on the relevant information of a predetermined signal in a certain PDCCH. The latency required for the terminal to detect the predetermined signal in the PDCCH is relatively small, thereby significantly reducing the switching latency of the PDCCH listening period and improving the switching efficiency. Furthermore, due to the reduced switching latency, the terminal can quickly enter a long-period listening phase, further saving power. Simultaneously, because the switching latency of the PDCCH listening period in this embodiment is small, the terminal can flexibly switch between different PDCCH listening periods multiple times, enabling the terminal to flexibly listen to non-uniformly scheduled PDCCHs, thus meeting more scheduling scenarios.

[0031] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, different relevant information of the predetermined signal is used to determine different first periods; the relevant information of the predetermined signal includes at least one of the following: the time-domain resource location of the predetermined signal; the frequency-domain resource location of the predetermined signal; the spatial-domain resource location of the predetermined signal; the signal sequence of the predetermined signal; and predetermined parameters used to generate the signal sequence.

[0032] In the above embodiments, it is explained what information the predetermined signal may include, so that the terminal can accurately determine the relevant information of the predetermined signal, thereby enabling the terminal to determine the first cycle based on the relevant information of the predetermined signal and realize low-latency switching of the PDCCH monitoring cycle.

[0033] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: before determining the first period, listening to the first PDCCH based on a second period; the determination of the second period includes at least one of the following: determining based on a protocol agreement; determining based on first configuration information sent by the network device, the first configuration information being used to configure the second period; determining based on relevant information of predetermined signals in the PDCCH prior to the first PDCCH.

[0034] In the above embodiments, before determining the first period, the terminal can also listen to the first PDCCH based on the second period, so that the terminal can accurately receive the first PDCCH and determine the first period based on the relevant information of the predetermined signal in the first PDCCH, thereby achieving low-latency switching of the PDCCH listening period. Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the listening period of the first PDCCH can be determined based on the relevant information of the predetermined signal in the PDCCH preceding the first PDCCH. Therefore, in the method of this disclosure, a certain PDCCH can indicate the listening period of the next PDCCH, the next PDCCH can indicate the listening period of the PDCCH after that, and so on. Thus, the PDCCH listening period switching method in the embodiments of this disclosure is more flexible and can meet more scheduling scenarios.

[0035] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, determining the first period based on relevant information of a predetermined signal in the first PDCCH includes: determining a predetermined correspondence, the predetermined correspondence including a correspondence between relevant information of the predetermined signal and the first period; determining relevant information of the predetermined signal based on the predetermined signal in the first PDCCH; and determining the first period based on the predetermined correspondence and relevant information of the predetermined signal.

[0036] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, determining the first period based on relevant information of a predetermined signal in the first PDCCH includes: determining indication information carried in relevant information of the predetermined signal, the indication information being used to indicate the first period; and determining the first period based on the indication information.

[0037] The above embodiments illustrate a specific method for the terminal to determine the first cycle, so that the terminal can accurately determine the first cycle by using the method of this disclosure embodiment, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the PDCCH monitoring cycle switching.

[0038] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, determining the listening period of the second PDCCH as the first period includes: determining N listening periods of the second PDCCH as the first period, where N is a positive integer and N≥1.

[0039] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes at least one of the following: in response to the terminal not receiving a first instruction within a predetermined duration, switching the listening period of the second PDCCH from the first period to a third period; wherein the predetermined duration is agreed upon by a protocol, and / or, the predetermined duration is configured by a network device; the first instruction is used to instruct the terminal to switch the listening period of the second PDCCH; in response to the second PDCCH having elapsed N listening periods, switching the listening period of the second PDCCH from the first period to the third period; in response to the terminal receiving a second instruction sent by the network device, switching the listening period of the second PDCCH from the first period to the third period, the second instruction being used to instruct the terminal to stop listening to the second PDCCH based on the first period; wherein the third period satisfies at least one of the following: the third period is agreed upon by a protocol, the third period is configured by the network device, and the third period is the listening period of the first PDCCH.

[0040] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, determining the listening period of the second PDCCH as the first period includes: determining the listening period of the second PDCCH within a predetermined time period as the first period; wherein the predetermined time period is agreed upon by a protocol, and / or the predetermined time period is configured by a network device.

[0041] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes at least one of the following: in response to the end of the predetermined time period, switching the listening period of the second PDCCH from the first period to a third period; in response to the terminal receiving a second instruction sent by the network device, switching the listening period of the second PDCCH from the first period to a third period, wherein the second instruction is used to instruct the terminal to stop listening to the second PDCCH based on the first period; wherein the third period satisfies at least one of the following: the third period is agreed upon by a protocol, the third period is configured by the network device, and the third period is the listening period of the first PDCCH.

[0042] The above embodiments illustrate how the terminal switches the PDCCH listening period based on the first period to ensure the accuracy of the PDCCH listening period switching. Furthermore, in the above embodiments, after the terminal switches the PDCCH listening period, it can also fall back to the third period, which may include at least one of the following: the listening period before the switch, a specific listening period agreed upon by the protocol, or a specific listening period configured by the network device. Therefore, the PDCCH listening period switching method in this disclosure also has a fallback mechanism after the switch, demonstrating a high degree of completeness.

[0043] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving second configuration information sent by a network device, the second configuration information being used to configure at least one candidate listening period; determining at least one candidate listening period based on a protocol agreement; wherein the first period, the second period, and the third period are any one of the candidate listening periods.

[0044] In the above embodiments, the terminal and the network device can agree on at least one candidate listening period so as to select the listening period that the terminal wants to switch to from the candidate listening period. This allows the terminal and the network device to have a unified understanding of the candidate range of listening periods, thus ensuring the accuracy of communication.

[0045] Secondly, embodiments of this disclosure propose a determination method performed by a network device, the method comprising: sending a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) to a terminal, wherein relevant information of a predetermined signal in the first PDCCH is used to determine a first period, the first period being a listening period of a second PDCCH, and the second PDCCH including PDCCHs following the first PDCCH.

[0046] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, different relevant information of the predetermined signal is used to determine different first periods; the relevant information of the predetermined signal includes at least one of the following: the time-domain resource location of the predetermined signal; the frequency-domain resource location of the predetermined signal; the spatial-domain resource location of the predetermined signal; the signal sequence of the predetermined signal; and predetermined parameters used to generate the signal sequence.

[0047] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: sending first configuration information to the terminal, the first configuration information being used to configure a second period, the second period being the listening period of the first PDCCH.

[0048] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, there is a predetermined correspondence between the relevant information of the predetermined signal and the first period; the predetermined correspondence is predefined by the protocol and / or determined by the network device.

[0049] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the relevant information of the predetermined signal is included in the first PDCCH, and the relevant information of the predetermined signal carries indication information, which is used to indicate the first period.

[0050] Thirdly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a terminal, comprising: a transceiver module for receiving a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) sent by a network device; a processing module for determining a first period based on relevant information of a predetermined signal in the first PDCCH; the processing module is further configured to determine that the listening period of a second PDCCH is the first period; wherein the second PDCCH includes PDCCHs following the first PDCCH.

[0051] Fourthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a network device, including: a transceiver module, configured to send a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) to a terminal, wherein relevant information of a predetermined signal in the first PDCCH is used to determine a first period, the first period being a listening period for a second PDCCH, and the second PDCCH including PDCCHs following the first PDCCH.

[0052] Fifthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication device, which includes: one or more processors; one or more memories for storing instructions; wherein the processors are used to invoke the instructions to cause the communication device to perform the methods described in the first aspect, the optional implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, and the optional implementation of the second aspect.

[0053] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication system comprising: a terminal and a network device; wherein the terminal is configured to perform the method described in the first aspect and optional implementations thereof, and the network device is configured to perform the method described in the second aspect and optional implementations thereof.

[0054] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method described in the first aspect, an optional implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, and an optional implementation of the second aspect.

[0055] Eighthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a program product including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the methods described in the first aspect, optional implementations of the first aspect, the second aspect, and optional implementations of the second aspect.

[0056] In a ninth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods described in the first aspect, an optional implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, and an optional implementation of the second aspect.

[0057] It is understood that the aforementioned terminals, network devices, communication devices, communication systems, storage media, program products, and computer programs are all used to execute the methods proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects they can achieve can be referred to the beneficial effects in the corresponding methods, and will not be repeated here.

[0058] This disclosure provides a resource selection method, a communication device, a communication system, and a storage medium. In some embodiments, the terms resource selection method, information processing method, information sending method, and information receiving method can be used interchangeably; the terms communication device, information processing device, information sending device, and information receiving device can be used interchangeably; and the terms information processing system, communication system, information sending system, and information receiving system can be used interchangeably.

[0059] This disclosure is not exhaustive, but merely illustrative of some embodiments, and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure. Unless otherwise specified, each step in a particular embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a particular embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily interchanged. Furthermore, the optional implementation methods in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; moreover, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, for example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments. In all embodiments of this disclosure, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referenced. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0060] The terminology used in the embodiments of this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0061] In this embodiment of the disclosure, unless otherwise stated, elements expressed in the singular form, such as "a," "an," "the," "the," "the," "the," "the," "the," "this," etc., can mean "one and only one," or "one or more," "at least one," etc. For example, when using articles such as "a," "an," "the," etc. in translation, the noun following the article can be understood as either a singular expression or a plural expression.

[0062] In the embodiments disclosed herein, "multiple" refers to two or more.

[0063] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one of A or B, at least one of A and B", "one or more", "a plurality of", "multiple" and the like can be used interchangeably.

[0064] In some embodiments, the notation "at least one of A and B", "A and / or B", "A in one case, B in another", "in response to one case A, in response to another case B", etc., may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execute A regardless of whether there is a branch B); in some embodiments, B (execute B regardless of whether there is a branch A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); in some embodiments, both A and B are executed. The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0065] In some embodiments, the notation "A or B" may include the following technical solutions, depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execute A regardless of whether a branch B exists); in some embodiments, B (execute B regardless of whether a branch A exists); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, and C.

[0066] The prefixes "first," "second," etc., used in the embodiments of this disclosure are merely for distinguishing different descriptive objects and do not impose restrictions on the position, order, priority, quantity, or content of the descriptive objects. The description of the descriptive objects is found in the claims or the context of the embodiments, and the use of prefixes should not constitute unnecessary restrictions. For example, if the descriptive object is a "field," the ordinal numbers preceding "field" in "first field" and "second field" do not restrict the position or order of the "fields." "First" and "second" do not restrict whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they restrict the order of "first field" and "second field." Similarly, if the descriptive object is a "level," the ordinal numbers preceding "level" in "first level" and "second level" do not restrict the priority between "levels." Furthermore, the number of descriptive objects is not limited by ordinal numbers and can be one or more. For example, in "first device," the number of "devices" can be one or more. Furthermore, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the object being described is "device", then "first device" and "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different. Similarly, if the object being described is "information", then "first information" and "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their content can be the same or different.

[0067] In some embodiments, “including A,” “containing A,” “for indicating A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0068] In some embodiments, terms such as "time / frequency" and "time-frequency domain" refer to the time domain and / or frequency domain.

[0069] In some embodiments, terms such as “in response to…”, “in response to determining…”, “in the case of…”, “when…”, “when…”, “if…”, etc. can be used interchangeably. These descriptions all refer to the device making a corresponding action under certain objective circumstances. They do not necessarily limit the time, nor do they require the device to make a judgment action when implementing it, nor do they mean that there must be other limitations.

[0070] In some embodiments, the terms “greater than,” “greater than or equal to,” “not less than,” “more than,” “more than or equal to,” “not less than,” “higher than,” “higher than or equal to,” “not lower than,” and “above” can be used interchangeably, as can the terms “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not greater than,” “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not more than,” “lower than,” “lower than or equal to,” “not higher than,” and “below”.

[0071] In some embodiments, devices, etc., may be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to those described in the embodiments. Terms such as “device,” “equipment,” “circuit,” “network element,” “network function,” “network device,” “function,” “node,” “unit,” “section,” “system,” “network,” “chip,” “chip system,” “entity,” and “subject” are interchangeable.

[0072] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in a network (e.g., access network devices, core network devices, etc.).

[0073] In some embodiments, the terms "access network device (AN device)," "radio access network device (RAN device)," "base station (BS)," "radio base station," "fixed station," "node," "access point," "transmission point (TP)," "reception point (RP)," "transmission / reception point (TRP)," "panel," "antenna panel," "antenna array," "cell," "macro cell," "small cell," "femto cell," "pico cell," "sector," "cell group," "serving cell," "carrier," "component carrier," and "bandwidth part (BWP)" can be used interchangeably.

[0074] In some embodiments, the terms "terminal", "terminal device", "user equipment (UE)", "user terminal", "mobile station (MS)", "mobile terminal (MT)", "subscriber station", "mobile unit", "subscriber unit", "wireless unit", "remote unit", "mobile device", "wireless device", "wireless communication device", "remote device", "mobile subscriber station", "access terminal", "mobile terminal", "wireless terminal", "remote terminal", "handset", "user agent", "mobile client", and "client" can be used interchangeably.

[0075] In some embodiments, access network devices, core network devices, or network devices can be replaced by terminals. For example, embodiments of this disclosure can also be applied to structures where communication between access network devices, core network devices, or network devices and terminals is replaced by communication between multiple terminals (e.g., device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), etc.). In this case, the structure can also be configured such that the terminal has all or part of the functions of the access network device. Furthermore, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" can be replaced with terms corresponding to communication between terminals (e.g., "sidelink"). For example, uplink channel, downlink channel, etc., can be replaced with sidelink channel, and uplink link, downlink, etc., can be replaced with sidelink link.

[0076] In some embodiments, the terminal may be replaced by an access network device, a core network device, or a network device. In this case, the access network device, core network device, or network device may also be configured to have all or some of the functions of the terminal.

[0077] In some embodiments, the acquisition of data, information, etc., may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the location is situated.

[0078] In some embodiments, data, information, etc., may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0079] Furthermore, each element, each row, or each column in the table of this disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and any combination of any element, any row, or any column can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0080] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1A, the communication system 100 may include a terminal and network devices. Optionally, the network devices may include at least one of access network devices and core network devices.

[0081] In some embodiments, the terminal includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: mobile phone, wearable device, Internet of Things device, car with communication function, smart car, tablet, computer with wireless transceiver function, virtual reality (VR) terminal device, augmented reality (AR) terminal device, wireless terminal device in industrial control, wireless terminal device in self-driving, wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, wireless terminal device in smart grid, wireless terminal device in transportation safety, wireless terminal device in smart city, and wireless terminal device in smart home.

[0082] In some embodiments, the access network device is, for example, a node or device that connects a terminal to a wireless network. The access network device may include at least one of the following in a 5G communication system: evolved Node B (eNB), next-generation evolved Node B (ng-eNB), next-generation Node B (gNB), Node B (NB), Home Node B (HNB), Home evolved Node B (HeNB), radio backhaul device, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), base band unit (BBU), mobile switching center, base station in a 6G communication system, open RAN, cloud RAN, base station in other communication systems, and access node in a Wi-Fi system, but is not limited thereto.

[0083] In some embodiments, the technical solutions of this disclosure can be applied to the Open RAN architecture. In this case, the interfaces between or within access network devices involved in the embodiments of this disclosure can be transformed into internal interfaces of Open RAN. The processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces can be implemented by software or programs.

[0084] In some embodiments, the access network device may be composed of a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). The CU may also be called a control unit. The CU-DU structure can separate the protocol layer of the access network device. Some protocol layer functions are centrally controlled by the CU, while the remaining part or all protocol layer functions are distributed in the DU and centrally controlled by the CU. However, this is not the only possibility.

[0085] In some embodiments, a core network device may be a single device comprising one or more network elements, or it may be multiple devices or a group of devices, each comprising all or part of the aforementioned one or more network elements. Network elements may be virtual or physical. The core network may include, for example, at least one of the following: Evolved Packet Core (EPC), 5G Core Network (5GCN), and Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0086] It is understood that the communication system described in this disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0087] The following embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG1A, or to some of the main bodies, but are not limited thereto. The main bodies shown in FIG1A are illustrative. The communication system may include all or some of the main bodies in FIG1A, or it may include other main bodies outside of FIG1A. The number and form of each main body are arbitrary. The connection relationship between the main bodies is illustrative. The main bodies may not be connected or may be connected. The connection can be in any way, it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection, it can be a wired connection or a wireless connection.

[0088] The embodiments disclosed herein can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th Generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th Generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G New Radio (NR), Future Radio Access (FRA), New-Radio Access Technology (RAT), New Radio (NR), New Radio Access (NX), Future Generation Radio Access (FX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), and IEEE 802.20, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth (a registered trademark), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) networks, Device-to-Device (D2D) systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) systems, systems utilizing other resource selection methods, and next-generation systems built upon them, etc. Furthermore, multiple systems can be combined (e.g., a combination of LTE or LTE-A with 5G).

[0089] Optionally, in some embodiments, multiple SSSGs may include: SSSG#0, which requires intensive PDCCH monitoring, and SSSG#1, which requires sparse PDCCH monitoring. Optionally, SSSG#0 has a higher PDCCH monitoring frequency and a shorter monitoring period; SSSG#1 has a lower PDCCH monitoring frequency and a longer monitoring period. Optionally, the terminal can switch between SSSG#0 and SSSG#1 based on communication needs. For example, Figure 1B is a schematic diagram of SSSG switching according to an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 1B, when the terminal is outside the Channel Occupancy Time (COT), it can switch to SSSG#0 to reduce the downlink transmission delay of the base station after a successful Listen-Before-Talk (LBT). When the terminal is within the COT, it can switch to SSSG#1 to achieve energy saving.

[0090] In some embodiments, the switching between different SSSGs can also be referred to as "the switching of the PDCCH listening period". For example, when the terminal switches from SSSG#0 to SSSG#1, it can be understood that the terminal's PDCCH listening period switches from a short period to a long period.

[0091] Optionally, in some embodiments, when configuring a terminal to switch its PDCCH listening period (or switch SSSG), the network device can indicate the PDCCH listening period to be switched by carrying Downlink Control Indicator (DCI) signaling on the PDCCH. However, the current switching method has the following two problems:

[0092] 1. The terminal requires a long time to decode the DCI in the PDCCH, resulting in a long handover delay and affecting handover efficiency.

[0093] 2. For PDCCH with non-uniform scheduling, the required switching frequency is relatively high. Current switching methods cannot achieve flexible switching at high frequencies, resulting in poor flexibility. Furthermore, for non-uniform scheduling, the current method can only set the listening period according to the shortest scheduling interval, leading to limited actual gain.

[0094] Figure 2 is an interactive schematic diagram illustrating the determination method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2, this embodiment of the disclosure relates to a determination method for a communication system 100; the method includes:

[0095] Step 2101: The network device sends the second configuration information to the terminal.

[0096] Optionally, the second configuration information can be used to configure at least one candidate listening period. In some embodiments, the candidate listening period may be, for example, a candidate listening period for the PDCCH.

[0097] Optionally, in some embodiments, the second configuration information may be configured specifically for different terminals (UE specific), while in other embodiments, the second configuration information may be configured for a group common terminal group. Optionally, the terminal group may include multiple terminals.

[0098] Optionally, the second configuration information can be sent via at least one of Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, Medium Access Control Control Element (MAC CE) signaling, and DCI signaling.

[0099] Step 2102: The terminal determines at least one candidate listening period.

[0100] Optionally, in some embodiments, the terminal may determine at least one candidate listening period based on a protocol agreement. In other embodiments, the terminal may determine at least one candidate listening period based on second configuration information.

[0101] Step 2103: The network device sends the first PDCCH to the terminal.

[0102] Optionally, the first PDCCH may include at least one of a predetermined signal and related information of the predetermined signal. The predetermined signal may be, for example, a demodulation reference signal (DMRS). Optionally, the predetermined signal may also be called PDCCH DMRS or other names, which are not specifically limited in this disclosure. Optionally, the related information of the predetermined signal may include at least one of the following: the time-domain resource location of the predetermined signal, the frequency-domain resource location of the predetermined signal, the spatial-domain resource location of the predetermined signal, the signal sequence of the predetermined signal, and predetermined parameters.

[0103] Optionally, the time-domain resource location of the predetermined signal may include, for example, the time-domain symbol location and time-domain symbol index of the predetermined signal.

[0104] Optionally, the frequency domain resource location of the predetermined signal may include, for example, the location of the frequency domain resource element (RE) of the predetermined signal, the frequency domain RE index, etc.

[0105] Optionally, the spatial resource location of the predetermined signal can also be referred to as antenna port information. Optionally, the spatial resource location of the predetermined signal may include, for example, at least one air interface number of the predetermined signal. Optionally, the air interface number may include, for example, 2000, 3000. Different air interface numbers may correspond to different time-domain resource locations and / or different frequency-domain resource locations, or different air interface numbers may correspond to the same time-domain resource location and the same frequency-domain resource location. Optionally, when different air interface numbers correspond to the same time-domain resource location and the same frequency-domain resource location, different orthogonal cover code (OCC) sequences of the predetermined signal can be used to distinguish the different air interface numbers of the predetermined signal. When different air interface numbers correspond to different time-domain resource locations and / or different frequency-domain resource locations, different time-domain resource locations and / or different frequency-domain resource locations can be used to distinguish the different air interface numbers of the predetermined signal.

[0106] Optionally, the signal sequence of the predetermined signal described above may be referred to as "DMRS sequence, PDCCH DMRS sequence or other names", and this disclosure does not specifically limit it.

[0107] Optionally, the aforementioned predetermined parameters can be used to initialize or generate a signal sequence of a predetermined signal. Optionally, different predetermined signals can correspond to different predetermined parameters. The predetermined parameters can be called, for example, "PDCCH DMRS sequence generation parameters, DMRS sequence generation parameters, sequence generation parameters, or other names." This disclosure does not specifically limit them in this regard.

[0108] Optionally, the aforementioned "time-domain resource location, frequency-domain resource location, and spatial-domain resource location of the predetermined signal" can also be referred to as: the resource location information of the predetermined signal, the resource location information of PDCCH DMRS, etc., and the aforementioned "signal sequence and predetermined parameters of the predetermined signal" can also be referred to as the sequence information of the predetermined signal, the sequence information of PDCCH DMRS, etc.

[0109] Optionally, in some embodiments, the relevant information of the predetermined signal can be used by the terminal to determine the first period. Optionally, the first period can be, for example, the listening period of the second PDCCH. Optionally, the second PDCCH can be the PDCCH following the first PDCCH. Optionally, the first period can be, for example, any of the candidate listening periods in the aforementioned steps 2101 and 2102.

[0110] Optionally, the predetermined signals in different PDCCHs may have different related information, and the different related information of the predetermined signals may be used by the terminal to determine different first cycles.

[0111] Optionally, the aforementioned "relevant information of the predetermined signal is used by the terminal to determine the first period" may include, for example, a predetermined correspondence between the relevant information of the predetermined signal and the first period, and the terminal determines the first period based on the predetermined correspondence and the relevant information of the predetermined signal in the first PDCCH. In some embodiments, the predetermined correspondence may be agreed upon by a protocol and / or configured by a network device. In some embodiments, different relevant information of the predetermined signal may correspond to different first periods. For example, assuming the predetermined signal is DMRS, the relevant information of the predetermined signal is PDCCH DMRS frequency domain resource location, the PDCCH listening period is configured by the network device through RRC signaling with 4 candidate listening periods, ordered from smallest to largest, and assuming the protocol predefines that the first PDCCH DMRS frequency domain resource location corresponds to the first PDCCH listening period; the second PDCCH DMRS frequency domain resource location corresponds to the second PDCCH listening period; the third PDCCH DMRS frequency domain resource location corresponds to the third PDCCH listening period; and the fourth PDCCH DMRS frequency domain resource location corresponds to the fourth PDCCH listening period. For example, when the terminal pre-detects the DMRS in the first PDCCH and determines that the DMRS is mapped to the frequency domain resource location of the DMRS in the second PDCCH, the first period can be: the second PDCCH listening period.

[0112] Optionally, in some embodiments, the aforementioned "relevant information of the predetermined signal used by the terminal to determine the first cycle" may further include, for example, carrying indication information in the relevant information of the predetermined signal. Optionally, the indication information may be used to indicate the first cycle. In some embodiments, when the relevant information of the predetermined signal is the airspace resource location of the predetermined signal, the indication information may be carried on the airspace resource location of the predetermined signal. In some embodiments, the airspace resource location may be an air interface number, and the indication information may, for example, be carried on the beam emitted by the air interface of the predetermined signal. Alternatively, the airspace resource location of the predetermined signal may use other carrying methods to carry the indication information, and this disclosure does not specifically limit this.

[0113] Step 2104: The terminal listens to the first PDCCH.

[0114] Optionally, the terminal can listen to the first PDCCH based on a second period. In some embodiments, the second period can be protocol-defined. For example, if the network device has not yet indicated the listening period through relevant information of a predetermined signal, the terminal can listen to the first PDCCH based on the protocol-defined second period. In other embodiments, the second period can be determined based on first configuration information sent by the network device. This first configuration information can be used to configure the second period. For example, if the network device has not yet indicated the listening period through relevant information of a predetermined signal, the terminal can listen to the first PDCCH based on the second period configured by the first configuration information. Optionally, the first configuration information can be sent through at least one of RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling, and DCI signaling. In other embodiments, the second period can be determined based on relevant information of predetermined signals in the PDCCH preceding the first PDCCH. The specific method for determining the second period based on relevant information is similar to the method for determining the first period in step 2103 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0115] Optionally, the second period can be any of the candidate listening periods in steps 2101 and 2102 mentioned above.

[0116] Step 2105: The terminal determines the first cycle based on the relevant information of the predetermined signal in the first PDCCH.

[0117] Optionally, for a detailed description of "the terminal determining the first cycle based on relevant information of the predetermined signal", please refer to the description of step 2103 above.

[0118] Step 2106: The terminal determines that the listening period of the second PDCCH is the first period.

[0119] Optionally, the second PDCCH can be a PDCCH following the first PDCCH.

[0120] In some embodiments, the terminal can determine N listening periods of the second PDCCH as the first period. For example, the terminal can determine the N PDCCH listening periods immediately following the first PDCCH as the first period, where N is a positive integer, N≥1, and the value of N can be predetermined by the protocol or configured by the network device. For example, the value of N can be configured by at least one of RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling, and DCI signaling. Optionally, in some embodiments, relevant information of predetermined signals in the first PDCCH can be used to determine one or more first periods. When one first period is determined, all N PDCCH listening periods can be that single first period. When multiple first periods are determined, the N PDCCH listening periods can be different or the same first period. For example, assuming three first periods are determined, namely first period #1, first period #2, and first period #3, and assuming N equals 3, then the first PDCCH listening period after the first PDCCH can be first period #1, the second PDCCH listening period after the first PDCCH can be first period #2, and the third PDCCH listening period after the first PDCCH can be first period #3; or, the first PDCCH listening period after the first PDCCH can be first period #1, the second PDCCH listening period after the first PDCCH can be first period #1, and the third PDCCH listening period after the first PDCCH can be first period #2; or, the first PDCCH listening period after the first PDCCH can be first period #3, the second PDCCH listening period after the first PDCCH can be first period #3, and the third PDCCH listening period after the first PDCCH can be first period #3.

[0121] In other embodiments, the terminal may determine the listening period of the second PDCCH within a predetermined time period as the first period. For example, the terminal may determine the PDCCH listening period within a predetermined time period after the first PDCCH as the first period. Optionally, when a first period is determined, all PDCCH listening periods within the predetermined time period may be that single first period. Optionally, when multiple first periods are determined, the different PDCCH listening periods within the predetermined time period may be different or the same first period. For example, suppose three first periods are determined, namely first period #1, first period #2, and first period #3. Suppose that the predetermined time period includes 3 PDCCH listening periods. Then, the first PDCCH listening period in the predetermined time period can be first period #1, the second PDCCH listening period in the predetermined time period can be first period #2, and the third PDCCH listening period in the predetermined time period can be first period #3; or, the first PDCCH listening period in the predetermined time period can be first period #1, the second PDCCH listening period in the predetermined time period can be first period #1, and the third PDCCH listening period in the predetermined time period can be first period #2; or, the first PDCCH listening period in the predetermined time period can be first period #3, the second PDCCH listening period in the predetermined time period can be first period #3, and the third PDCCH listening period in the predetermined time period can be first period #3.

[0122] Optionally, the aforementioned predetermined time period can be agreed upon by a protocol and / or configured by the network device. For example, the predetermined time period can be configured by at least one of RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling, and DCI signaling.

[0123] Optionally, when the terminal determines that the listening period of the second PDCCH is the first period, the terminal can listen to the second PDCCH based on the first period.

[0124] As can be seen from the above, in some embodiments, the monitoring period of the first PDCCH can be determined by the relevant information of predetermined signals in the PDCCH preceding the first PDCCH, and the relevant information of predetermined signals in the first PDCCH can be used to determine the monitoring period of the PDCCH following the first PDCCH (i.e., the second PDCCH). Therefore, in the method of this disclosure, a certain PDCCH can indicate the monitoring period of the next PDCCH, the next PDCCH can indicate the monitoring period of the PDCCH after that, and so on. Thus, the PDCCH monitoring period switching method in the embodiments of this disclosure is more flexible and can meet more scheduling scenarios.

[0125] Step 2107: The terminal switches the listening cycle of the second PDCCH from the first cycle to the third cycle.

[0126] Optionally, in some embodiments, the third period can be agreed upon by the protocol. In some embodiments, the third period can be configured by the network device. In some embodiments, the third period can be the listening period of the first PDCCH, that is, the third period can be the second period in step 2104 above. Optionally, the third period can be, for example, any candidate listening period in steps 2101 and 2102 above.

[0127] Optionally, when the terminal determines that the N listening periods of the second PDCCH are the first period in step 2106 above, in some embodiments, in response to the terminal not receiving the first instruction within a predetermined time period, the terminal switches the listening period of the second PDCCH from the first period to the third period. Optionally, the predetermined time period can be agreed upon by a protocol, and / or the predetermined time period can be configured by the network device. Optionally, the first instruction can be used to instruct the terminal to switch the listening period of the second PDCCH. The first instruction can be carried by at least one of RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling, and DCI signaling. The first instruction can also be called a switching instruction or other names, which are not specifically limited in this disclosure. Alternatively, in some embodiments, in response to the second PDCCH having elapsed N listening cycles, the terminal switches the listening cycle of the second PDCCH from the first cycle to the third cycle; or, in some embodiments, in response to the terminal receiving a second instruction sent by the network device, the terminal switches the listening cycle of the second PDCCH from the first cycle to the third cycle. The second instruction can be used to instruct the terminal to stop listening to the second PDCCH based on the first cycle. Optionally, the second instruction can be carried by at least one of RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling, and DCI signaling. The second instruction can also be called a termination instruction or other names, which are not specifically limited in this disclosure.

[0128] Optionally, when the terminal determines in step 2106 that the listening period of the second PDCCH within the predetermined time period is the first period, in some embodiments, in response to the end of the predetermined time period, the terminal switches the listening period of the second PDCCH from the first period to the third period; or, in some embodiments, in response to the terminal receiving a second instruction sent by the network device, the terminal switches the listening period of the second PDCCH from the first period to the third period.

[0129] In summary, in the above embodiments, when configuring the terminal to switch the PDCCH listening period, the network device can indicate the listening period of the subsequent PDCCH based on the relevant information of a predetermined signal in a certain PDCCH. The latency required for the terminal to detect the predetermined signal in the PDCCH is relatively small, thereby significantly reducing the switching latency of the PDCCH listening period and improving the switching efficiency. Furthermore, due to the reduced switching latency, the terminal can quickly enter a longer listening period, further saving power. Simultaneously, because the switching latency of the PDCCH listening period in this embodiment is small, the terminal can flexibly switch between different PDCCH listening periods multiple times, enabling the terminal to flexibly listen to non-uniformly scheduled PDCCHs, thus meeting more scheduling scenarios.

[0130] The determination method involved in the embodiments of this disclosure may include at least one of steps 2101 to 2107. For example, step 2104 may be implemented as a separate embodiment, and steps 2101+2104 may be implemented as separate embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0131] In some embodiments, steps 2101 and 2102 are optional and may be omitted or substituted in different embodiments.

[0132] In some embodiments, the steps and their optional implementations in other embodiments described before or after this embodiment, as well as other related parts in the specification, can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0133] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a determination method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, the present disclosure relates to a determination method for a terminal, the method comprising:

[0134] Step 3101: Receive the first PDCCH sent by the network device.

[0135] Step 3102: Determine the first period based on the relevant information of the predetermined signal in the first PDCCH.

[0136] Step 3103: Determine that the listening period of the second PDCCH is the first period.

[0137] Optionally, the second PDCCH includes the PDCCH following the first PDCCH.

[0138] Optionally, different relevant information of the predetermined signal is used to determine different first periods; the relevant information of the predetermined signal includes at least one of the following: the time-domain resource location of the predetermined signal; the frequency-domain resource location of the predetermined signal; the spatial-domain resource location of the predetermined signal; the signal sequence of the predetermined signal; and predetermined parameters used to generate the signal sequence.

[0139] Optionally, the method further includes: before determining the first period, listening to the first PDCCH based on the second period; the second period is determined by at least one of the following: determined based on protocol agreement; determined based on first configuration information sent by the network device, the first configuration information being used to configure the second period; determined based on relevant information of predetermined signals in the PDCCH prior to the first PDCCH.

[0140] Optionally, determining the first period based on the relevant information of the predetermined signal in the first PDCCH includes: determining a predetermined correspondence, the predetermined correspondence including the correspondence between the relevant information of the predetermined signal and the first period; determining the relevant information of the predetermined signal based on the predetermined signal in the first PDCCH; and determining the first period based on the predetermined correspondence and the relevant information of the predetermined signal.

[0141] Optionally, determining the first period based on relevant information of a predetermined signal in the first PDCCH includes: determining indication information carried in the relevant information of the predetermined signal, the indication information being used to indicate the first period; and determining the first period based on the indication information.

[0142] Optionally, determining the listening period of the second PDCCH as the first period includes: determining N listening periods of the second PDCCH as the first period, where N is a positive integer and N≥1.

[0143] Optionally, the method further includes at least one of the following: in response to the terminal not receiving a first instruction within a predetermined time period, switching the listening period of the second PDCCH from the first period to a third period; wherein the predetermined time period is agreed upon by a protocol, and / or the predetermined time period is configured by a network device; the first instruction is used to instruct the terminal to switch the listening period of the second PDCCH; in response to the second PDCCH having elapsed N listening periods, switching the listening period of the second PDCCH from the first period to the third period; in response to the terminal receiving a second instruction sent by the network device, switching the listening period of the second PDCCH from the first period to the third period, the second instruction being used to instruct the terminal to stop listening to the second PDCCH based on the first period; wherein the third period satisfies at least one of the following: the third period is agreed upon by a protocol, the third period is configured by the network device, and the third period is the listening period of the first PDCCH.

[0144] Optionally, determining that the listening period of the second PDCCH is the first period includes: determining that the listening period of the second PDCCH within a predetermined time period is the first period; wherein the predetermined time period is agreed upon by the protocol, and / or the predetermined time period is configured by the network device.

[0145] Optionally, the method further includes at least one of the following: in response to the end of the predetermined time period, switching the listening period of the second PDCCH from the first period to the third period; in response to the terminal receiving a second instruction sent by the network device, switching the listening period of the second PDCCH from the first period to the third period, wherein the second instruction is used to instruct the terminal to stop listening to the second PDCCH based on the first period; wherein the third period satisfies at least one of the following: the third period is agreed upon by a protocol, the third period is configured by the network device, and the third period is the listening period of the first PDCCH.

[0146] Optionally, the method further includes: receiving second configuration information sent by a network device, the second configuration information being used to configure at least one candidate listening period; determining at least one candidate listening period based on a protocol agreement; wherein the first period, the second period, and the third period are any one of the candidate listening periods.

[0147] For a detailed description of steps 3101-3103, please refer to the above embodiment description.

[0148] The determination method involved in the embodiments of this disclosure may include at least one of steps 3101 to 3103. For example, step 3101 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, step 3102 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and steps 3101+3102 may be implemented as independent embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0149] In some embodiments, the steps and their optional implementations in other embodiments described before or after this embodiment, as well as other related parts in the specification, can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0150] Figure 4A is a flowchart illustrating a determination method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 4A, this disclosure relates to a determination method for a network device, the method comprising:

[0151] Step 4101: Send the first PDCCH to the terminal.

[0152] Optionally, the relevant information of the predetermined signal in the first PDCCH is used to determine the first period, the first period being the listening period of the second PDCCH, and the second PDCCH including the PDCCH following the first PDCCH.

[0153] Optionally, different relevant information of the predetermined signal is used to determine different first periods; the relevant information of the predetermined signal includes at least one of the following: the time-domain resource location of the predetermined signal; the frequency-domain resource location of the predetermined signal; the spatial-domain resource location of the predetermined signal; the signal sequence of the predetermined signal; and predetermined parameters used to generate the signal sequence.

[0154] Optionally, the method further includes: sending first configuration information to the terminal, the first configuration information being used to configure a second period, the second period being the listening period of the first PDCCH.

[0155] Optionally, there is a predetermined correspondence between the relevant information of the predetermined signal and the first period; the predetermined correspondence is predefined by the protocol and / or determined by the network device.

[0156] Optionally, the relevant information of the predetermined signal is included in the first PDCCH, and the relevant information of the predetermined signal carries indication information, which is used to indicate the first cycle.

[0157] For a detailed description of step 4101, please refer to the above embodiment description.

[0158] In some embodiments, the steps and their optional implementations in other embodiments described before or after this embodiment, as well as other related parts in the specification, can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0159] The following is an exemplary description of the above method.

[0160] Optional Example 1: NR Search space set group swithcing

[0161] The search space set group switching mechanism is proposed based on power saving in NR-U scenarios. The typical practice for Rel-16 SSSG handover is to configure a search space requiring intensive PDCCH monitoring as SSSG#0, and then configure another SSSG#1 with sparse PDCCH monitoring. Power saving is achieved by switching the UE from the intensive PDCCH monitoring SSSG#0 outside the Channel Occupancy Time (COT) to the sparse PDCCH monitoring SSSG#1 within the COT. Intensive PDCCH monitoring can reduce the latency of DL transmission performed by the gNB after LBT success; on the other hand, switching the UE to the sparse PDCCH monitoring SSSG after the gNB starts COT can also achieve power saving, as shown in Figure 1B above.

[0162] Search space set group switching Rel-16

[0163] Rel-16 can configure two search space sets. The user can switch between these two sets explicitly or implicitly via the search space RRC parameter searchSpaceGroupIdList-r16.

[0164] For the purpose of search space group switching, the SearchSpaceSwitchConfig field of PDCCH-config contains three parameters: cellGroupsForSwitchList, searchSpaceSwitchDelay, and searchSpaceSwitchTimer.

[0165] The `cellGroupsForSwitchList` is used by the network to bind a group of serving cells together and then inform the UE of the list of serving cells within the same group. `CellGroupForSwitch` corresponds to `ServCellIndex`, and one serving cell corresponds to one `CellGroupForSwitch`. In addition, the network configures the same list for all BWPs within the serving cell with the same `CellGroupForSwitch`. All serving cells within each group have search space group switching capabilities. If the serving cell where the UE is camped does not have `cellGroupsForSwitchList` configured, but has `searchSpaceGroupIdList` configured, then the serving cell corresponding to that IE has search space group switching capabilities.

[0166] The `searchSpaceSwitchDelay` parameter is used by the network side to provide the `P_switch` value. This parameter corresponds to the SSSG handover delay. The `P_switch` value varies depending on whether the UE is processing capability 1 or UE processing capability 2, and the SCS configuration μ. The minimum value of `P_switch` is specified in Table 2.8, which was added in Rel-17. Unless support for UE processing capability 2 is reported via `searchSpaceSwitchCapability2-r16`, the UE typically uses UE processing capability 1.

[0167] The UE can use `searchSpaceSwitchTimer` to provide a timer value for SSSG handover to the serving cell or serving cell set in `cellGroupsForSwitchList` configured in `searchSpaceGroupIdList`. The UE will use the minimum SCS of all configured DL BWPs in the serving cell or serving cell set as the reference SCS configuration, and decrement the timer value by 1 after each slot. The UE maintains this reference SCS configuration during the timer decrement process.

[0168] Search space set group switching Rel-16 supports two switching modes: Explicit Switching and Implicit Switching.

[0169] Explicit switching is implemented via DCI 2_0 instructions. Supporting explicit switching requires the reporting capability `searchspaceSwitchwithDCI-r16`. Listening to DCI 2_0 requires configuring the RRC parameter `searchSpaceSwitchTrigger-r16`, which contains the position information (`positionInDCI`) of the search space switching flag field in DCI format 2_0. The search space set switching flag field is 1 bit in size, where value 0 represents group ID 0 and value 1 represents group ID 1. `servingCellId-r16` corresponds to the serving cell ID to which the above configuration is applied.

[0170] The UE can also switch between two search space set groups without detecting DCI format 2_0, i.e., implicit switching. Supporting implicit switching requires the reporting capability searchspaceSwitchwithoutDCI-r16. Figure 4B is a schematic diagram of the implicit indication SSSG handover process according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0171] Search space set group switching Rel-17

[0172] Rel-17 enhances the SSSG handover mechanism, primarily in the following aspects:

[0173] 1. Up to 3 SSSGs can be configured;

[0174] 2. In addition to the content of Rel-16, Rel-17 can use the PDCCH monitoring adaptation field of DCI 0_2 / 0_1 / 1_1 / 1_2 in combination with specific configurations to perform PDCCH monitoring skipping or search space set group switching (including switching of 2 or 3 SSSGs);

[0175] 3. Rel-17 extends the 5G NR frequency band range from 52.6GHz to 71GHz. Numerologies have added scenarios with u=5 and 6. FR2-2 can support SCS 120 / 480 / 960kHz, thus adding cases with u=3, 5, and 6 for P_switch;

[0176] 4. Rel-17 proposed a multi-slot PDCCH monitoring method for SCS 480 / 960khz, so the specific timing of the search space switch needs to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

[0177] Other basic principles remain largely the same and will not be repeated here.

[0178] Question 1: Deficiencies in existing mechanisms and potential limitations on 6G IoT devices

[0179] The search space set group switching mechanism is proposed based on power saving in NR-U scenarios. The typical practice for Rel-16 SSSG handover is to configure a search space requiring intensive PDCCH monitoring as SSSG#0, and then configure another SSSG#1 with sparse PDCCH monitoring. Power saving is achieved by switching the UE from the intensive PDCCH monitoring SSSG#0 outside the Channel Occupancy Time (COT) to the sparse PDCCH monitoring SSSG#1 within the COT. Intensive PDCCH monitoring can reduce the latency of DL transmission performed by the gNB after LBT success; on the other hand, switching the UE to the sparse PDCCH monitoring SSSG after the gNB starts COT can also achieve power saving, as shown in Figures 1B and 4C.

[0180] The above mechanism has two main drawbacks:

[0181] 1) The switching time is extended, and the monitoring period for switching can only be determined after DCI is decoded;

[0182] 2) In cases where non-uniform scheduling is not applicable, if non-uniform scheduling exists, the listening period can only be set according to the shortest scheduling interval, resulting in limited actual gain. Alternatively, while ensuring gain, scheduling flexibility is sacrificed. For IoT UEs, reduced handover latency means that they can enter a longer listening period as soon as possible, thus saving more power. However, applying non-uniform scheduling can ensure that IoT UEs can meet more 6G scheduling scenarios.

[0183] The method disclosed herein can achieve the following objectives:

[0184] Option 1: The monitoring period is switched based on the prior information of the DMRS bearer, which means that the switch can be completed in the next monitoring period.

[0185] Option 2: Based on the prior information carried by the DMRS, indicate the next listening period, the next listening period indicates the next listening period, and so on.

[0186] Optional Example 1

[0187] In a network, a gNB transmits first information to a UE via first DMRS information. The method of transmitting the first information includes at least one of mapping and indication. Mapping refers to establishing a connection between the first DMRS information and the first information. Indication involves further carrying indication information within the first DMRS information to indicate the first information.

[0188] The first DMRS information includes at least one of the following: PDCCH DMRS resource location information, or sequence information for generating PDCCH DMRS. Further, the PDCCH DMRS resource location information includes at least one of time-domain, frequency-domain, and spatial-domain resource locations. The PDCCH DMRS sequence information includes at least one of the following: PDCCH DMRS sequence and PDCCH DMRS sequence generation parameters.

[0189] The first information is used to indicate / confirm the switching of the PDCCH listening cycle.

[0190] The method for determining the PDCCH monitoring period includes at least one of the following:

[0191] Example 1:

[0192] The configuration is provided to the terminal device by the base station and can be either UE-specific or group-common. Furthermore, the configuration signaling includes at least one of RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling, and DCI signaling.

[0193] Example 2:

[0194] One or more PDCCH listening periods are predefined by the protocol. Further, when the base station is not configured to enable the first DMRS information on the terminal device, the PDCCH listening period defaults to the first period, which is predefined by the protocol. Optionally, when the base station is not configured to enable the first DMRS information on the terminal device, the PDCCH listening period defaults to the PDCCH listening period configured by the base station.

[0195] For example, the first DMRS information is the PDCCH DMRS frequency domain resource location. The PDCCH listening period is configured by the base station with four candidate values ​​via RRC signaling, ordered from smallest to largest. As predefined by the protocol, the first PDCCH DMRS frequency domain resource location corresponds to the first PDCCH listening period; the second PDCCH DMRS frequency domain resource location corresponds to the second PDCCH listening period; the third PDCCH DMRS frequency domain resource location corresponds to the third PDCCH listening period; and the fourth PDCCH DMRS frequency domain resource location corresponds to the fourth PDCCH listening period. For instance, when the terminal device pre-detects the DMRS and determines that the DMRS is mapped to the second PDCCH DMRS frequency domain resource location, the next PDCCH listening period switches to the second PDCCH listening period.

[0196] Furthermore, when a terminal device switches to a certain PDCCH listening cycle, the terminal device may fall back to the second cycle, or a certain specified PDCCH listening cycle may be performed in a manner that includes at least one of the following:

[0197] Example 1:

[0198] The base station configures a first duration for the terminal device. If the terminal device does not receive a handover instruction for the PDCCH handover cycle within the first duration, the terminal device falls back to the second cycle. The second cycle is predetermined by the protocol, configured by the base station, or is the previous PDCCH listening cycle of the terminal device.

[0199] Example 2:

[0200] The base station configures / indicates termination signaling, and further, the configuration signaling includes at least one of RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling, and DCI signaling.

[0201] Optional Example 2

[0202] In a network, a gNB transmits first information to a UE via first DMRS information. The method of transmitting the first information includes at least one of mapping and indication. Mapping refers to establishing a connection between the first DMRS information and the first information. Indication involves further carrying indication information within the first DMRS information to indicate the first information.

[0203] The first DMRS information includes at least one of the following: PDCCH DMRS resource location information, or sequence information for generating PDCCH DMRS. Further, the PDCCH DMRS resource location information includes at least one of time-domain, frequency-domain, and spatial-domain resource locations. The PDCCH DMRS sequence information includes at least one of the following: PDCCH DMRS sequence and PDCCH DMRS sequence generation parameters.

[0204] The first information is used to indicate / confirm the next N PDCCH listening cycles, or the PDCCH listening cycles within a first time period. The value of N or the first time period is predetermined by the protocol, or configured by the base station. Further, the configuration signaling includes at least one of RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling, and DCI signaling.

[0205] The method for determining the candidate set of PDCCH listening periods includes at least one of the following:

[0206] Example 1:

[0207] The configuration is provided to the terminal device by the base station and can be either UE-specific or group-common. Furthermore, the configuration signaling includes at least one of RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling, and DCI signaling.

[0208] Example 2:

[0209] One or more PDCCH listening periods are predefined by the protocol. Further, when the base station is not configured to enable the first DMRS information on the terminal device, the PDCCH listening period defaults to the first period, which is predefined by the protocol. Optionally, when the base station is not configured to enable the first DMRS information on the terminal device, the PDCCH listening period defaults to the PDCCH listening period configured by the base station.

[0210] For example, the first DMRS information is the PDCCH DMRS frequency domain resource location. The PDCCH listening period is configured by the base station with four candidate values ​​via RRC signaling, ordered from smallest to largest. As predefined by the protocol, the first PDCCH DMRS frequency domain resource location corresponds to the first PDCCH listening period; the second PDCCH DMRS frequency domain resource location corresponds to the second PDCCH listening period; the third PDCCH DMRS frequency domain resource location corresponds to the third PDCCH listening period; and the fourth PDCCH DMRS frequency domain resource location corresponds to the fourth PDCCH listening period. For instance, when the terminal device pre-detects the DMRS and determines that the DMRS is mapped to the second PDCCH DMRS frequency domain resource location, the next PDCCH listening period switches to the second PDCCH listening period.

[0211] Furthermore, when a terminal device switches to a certain PDCCH listening cycle, the terminal device may fall back to the second cycle, or a certain specified PDCCH listening cycle may be performed in a manner that includes at least one of the following:

[0212] Example 1:

[0213] When the N count is 0, the terminal device falls back to the second cycle. The second cycle is predetermined by the protocol, configured by the base station, or is the previous PDCCH listening cycle on the terminal device.

[0214] Example 2:

[0215] At the end of the first time period, the terminal device falls back to the second cycle. The second cycle is predetermined by the protocol, configured by the base station, or is a PDCCH listening cycle on the terminal device.

[0216] Example 3:

[0217] The base station configures / indicates termination signaling, and further, the configuration signaling includes at least one of RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling, and DCI signaling.

[0218] This disclosed method can achieve the following:

[0219] Option 1: The monitoring period is switched based on the prior information of the DMRS bearer, which means that the switch can be completed in the next monitoring period.

[0220] Option 2: Based on the prior information carried by the DMRS, indicate the next (N) listening cycle, the next listening cycle indicates the next (N) listening cycle, and so on.

[0221] This disclosure also proposes an apparatus (also referred to as a communication device, etc.) for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is proposed that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by the terminal in any of the above methods. Furthermore, another apparatus is proposed that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network functional node, a core network device, etc.) in any of the above methods.

[0222] It should be understood that the division of units or modules in the above device is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Furthermore, the units or modules in the device can be implemented by a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor connected to a memory containing instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or to implement the functions of the units or modules in the above device. The processor can be, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory can be internal or external to the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits. The functionality of some or all of the units or modules can be achieved through the design of these hardware circuits, which can be understood as one or more processors. For example, in one implementation, the hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The functionality of some or all of the units or modules is achieved through the design of the logical relationships between the components within the circuit. In another implementation, the hardware circuit can be implemented using a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gates. The connection relationships between the logic gates are configured through configuration files, thereby achieving the functionality of some or all of the units or modules. All units or modules of the above device can be implemented entirely through processor-called software, entirely through hardware circuits, or partially through processor-called software with the remaining parts implemented through hardware circuits.

[0223] In this embodiment, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction read and execute capabilities, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationships of hardware circuits. The logical relationships of the aforementioned hardware circuits are fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented using an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and configuring the hardware circuit can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. Furthermore, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a Neural Network Processing Unit (NPU), a Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), or a Deep Learning Processing Unit (DPU).

[0224] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. The terminal is used to execute any of the above methods. In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 5A, the terminal may include at least one of a transceiver module, a processing module, etc. The transceiver module is used to receive a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) sent by a network device; the processing module is used to determine a first period based on relevant information of a predetermined signal in the first PDCCH; the processing module is further used to determine that the listening period of a second PDCCH is the first period; wherein the second PDCCH includes PDCCHs following the first PDCCH.

[0225] Optionally, the transceiver module described above is used to perform at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving performed by the terminal in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here. Optionally, the processing module described above is used to perform at least one of the other steps performed by the terminal in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0226] Optionally, different relevant information of the predetermined signal is used to determine different first periods; the relevant information of the predetermined signal includes at least one of the following: the time-domain resource location of the predetermined signal; the frequency-domain resource location of the predetermined signal; the spatial-domain resource location of the predetermined signal; the signal sequence of the predetermined signal; and predetermined parameters used to generate the signal sequence.

[0227] Optionally, the method further includes: before determining the first period, listening to the first PDCCH based on the second period; the second period is determined by at least one of the following: determined based on protocol agreement; determined based on first configuration information sent by the network device, the first configuration information being used to configure the second period; determined based on relevant information of predetermined signals in the PDCCH prior to the first PDCCH.

[0228] Optionally, determining the first period based on the relevant information of the predetermined signal in the first PDCCH includes: determining a predetermined correspondence, the predetermined correspondence including the correspondence between the relevant information of the predetermined signal and the first period; determining the relevant information of the predetermined signal based on the predetermined signal in the first PDCCH; and determining the first period based on the predetermined correspondence and the relevant information of the predetermined signal.

[0229] Optionally, determining the first period based on relevant information of a predetermined signal in the first PDCCH includes: determining indication information carried in the relevant information of the predetermined signal, the indication information being used to indicate the first period; and determining the first period based on the indication information.

[0230] Optionally, determining the listening period of the second PDCCH as the first period includes: determining N listening periods of the second PDCCH as the first period, where N is a positive integer and N≥1.

[0231] Optionally, the method further includes at least one of the following: in response to the terminal not receiving a first instruction within a predetermined time period, switching the listening period of the second PDCCH from the first period to a third period; wherein the predetermined time period is agreed upon by a protocol, and / or the predetermined time period is configured by a network device; the first instruction is used to instruct the terminal to switch the listening period of the second PDCCH; in response to the second PDCCH having elapsed N listening periods, switching the listening period of the second PDCCH from the first period to the third period; in response to the terminal receiving a second instruction sent by the network device, switching the listening period of the second PDCCH from the first period to the third period, the second instruction being used to instruct the terminal to stop listening to the second PDCCH based on the first period; wherein the third period satisfies at least one of the following: the third period is agreed upon by a protocol, the third period is configured by the network device, and the third period is the listening period of the first PDCCH.

[0232] Optionally, determining that the listening period of the second PDCCH is the first period includes: determining that the listening period of the second PDCCH within a predetermined time period is the first period; wherein the predetermined time period is agreed upon by the protocol, and / or the predetermined time period is configured by the network device.

[0233] Optionally, the method further includes at least one of the following: in response to the end of the predetermined time period, switching the listening period of the second PDCCH from the first period to the third period; in response to the terminal receiving a second instruction sent by the network device, switching the listening period of the second PDCCH from the first period to the third period, wherein the second instruction is used to instruct the terminal to stop listening to the second PDCCH based on the first period; wherein the third period satisfies at least one of the following: the third period is agreed upon by a protocol, the third period is configured by the network device, and the third period is the listening period of the first PDCCH.

[0234] Optionally, the method further includes: receiving second configuration information sent by a network device, the second configuration information being used to configure at least one candidate listening period; determining at least one candidate listening period based on a protocol agreement; wherein the first period, the second period, and the third period are any one of the candidate listening periods.

[0235] Figure 5B is a schematic diagram of the network device proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. The network device is used to perform any of the above methods. In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 5B, the network device may include at least one of a transceiver module, a processing module, etc. The transceiver module is used to send a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) to a terminal, wherein relevant information of predetermined signals in the first PDCCH is used to determine a first period, the first period is the listening period of a second PDCCH, and the second PDCCH includes PDCCHs following the first PDCCH.

[0236] Optionally, the transceiver module is used to perform at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving performed by the network device in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here. Optionally, the processing module is used to perform at least one of the other steps performed by the network device in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0237] Optionally, different relevant information of the predetermined signal is used to determine different first periods; the relevant information of the predetermined signal includes at least one of the following: the time-domain resource location of the predetermined signal; the frequency-domain resource location of the predetermined signal; the spatial-domain resource location of the predetermined signal; the signal sequence of the predetermined signal; and predetermined parameters used to generate the signal sequence.

[0238] Optionally, the method further includes: sending first configuration information to the terminal, the first configuration information being used to configure a second period, the second period being the listening period of the first PDCCH.

[0239] Optionally, there is a predetermined correspondence between the relevant information of the predetermined signal and the first period; the predetermined correspondence is predefined by the protocol and / or determined by the network device.

[0240] Optionally, the relevant information of the predetermined signal is included in the first PDCCH, and the relevant information of the predetermined signal carries indication information, which is used to indicate the first cycle.

[0241] Figure 6A is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 6100 proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. The communication device 6100 can be a network device (e.g., access network device, core network device, etc.), a terminal (e.g., user equipment, etc.), a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the network device in implementing any of the above methods, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal in implementing any of the above methods. The communication device 6100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0242] As shown in Figure 6A, the communication device 6100 is used to execute any of the above methods. In some embodiments, the communication device 6100 includes one or more processors 6101. The processor 6101 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control communication devices (e.g., base stations, baseband chips, terminal devices, terminal device chips, DUs or CUs, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. Optionally, the communication device 6100 is used to execute any of the above methods. Optionally, one or more processors 6101 are used to invoke instructions to cause the communication device 6100 to execute any of the above methods.

[0243] In some embodiments, the communication device 6100 further includes one or more transceivers 6102. When the communication device 6100 includes one or more transceivers 6102, the transceiver 6102 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above-described method, and the processor 6101 performs at least one of the other steps. In optional embodiments, the transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter, which may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, interface circuit, interface, etc., can be used interchangeably; the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, transmitting circuit, etc., can be used interchangeably; the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, receiving circuit, etc., can be used interchangeably.

[0244] In some embodiments, the communication device 6100 further includes one or more memories 6103 for storing data and / or instructions. Optionally, one or more processors 6101 are used to invoke instructions stored in the memory 6103 to cause the communication device 6100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, all or part of the memory 6103 may also be located outside the communication device 6100. In an optional embodiment, the communication device 6100 may include one or more interface circuits 6104. Optionally, the interface circuit 6104 is connected to the memory 6102 and can be used to receive data and / or instructions from the memory 6102 or other devices, and can be used to send data and / or instructions to the memory 6102 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 6104 can read data and / or instructions stored in the memory 6102 and send the data and / or instructions to the processor 6101.

[0245] The communication device 6100 described in the above embodiments may be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 6100 described in this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 6100 may not be limited by FIG. 6A. The communication device may be a standalone device or a part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: (1) a standalone integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the IC collection may also include storage components for storing data, programs and / or instructions; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, terminal device, smart terminal device, cellular phone, wireless device, handheld device, mobile unit, vehicle device, network device, cloud device, artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0246] Figure 6B is a schematic diagram of the structure of chip 6200 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. For cases where the communication device 6100 can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to the schematic diagram of chip 6200 shown in Figure 6B, but it is not limited thereto.

[0247] Chip 6200 includes one or more processors 6201. Chip 6200 is used to perform any of the methods described above.

[0248] In some embodiments, chip 6200 further includes one or more interface circuits 6202. Optionally, terms such as interface circuit, interface, and transceiver pin can be used interchangeably. In some embodiments, chip 6200 further includes one or more memories 6203 for storing data and / or instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 6203 may be located outside of chip 6200. Optionally, interface circuit 6202 is connected to memory 6203, and interface circuit 6202 can be used to receive data and / or instructions from memory 6203 or other devices, and interface circuit 6202 can be used to send data and / or instructions to memory 6203 or other devices. For example, interface circuit 6202 can read data and / or instructions stored in memory 6203 and send the data and / or instructions to processor 6201.

[0249] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 6202 performs at least one of the communication steps, such as sending and / or receiving, in the above-described method. For example, the interface circuit 6202 performing the communication steps, such as sending and / or receiving, in the above-described method means that the interface circuit 6202 performs data and / or instruction interaction between the processor 6201, the chip 6200, the memory 6203, or the transceiver device. In some embodiments, the processor 6201 performs at least one of the other steps.

[0250] The modules and / or devices described in the various embodiments, such as virtual devices, physical devices, and chips, can be combined or separated arbitrarily as needed. Optionally, some or all steps can also be performed collaboratively by multiple modules and / or devices, which is not limited here.

[0251] This disclosure also proposes a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a temporary storage medium.

[0252] This disclosure also proposes a program product, including a program and / or instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, cause the communication device to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product. Optionally, the program product is stored on the storage medium.

[0253] This disclosure also proposes a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the above methods.

[0254] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs. When the computer program is loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this disclosure are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., high-density digital video discs (DVDs)), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state drives (SSDs)).

[0255] 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 disclosure.

[0256] 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.

[0257] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this disclosure, but the scope of protection of this disclosure is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of this disclosure should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for determining, characterized in that, The method, executed by a terminal, includes: Receive the first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) sent by the network device; The first period is determined based on the relevant information of the predetermined signal in the first PDCCH; The listening period of the second PDCCH is determined to be the first period; wherein the second PDCCH includes the PDCCH following the first PDCCH.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The relevant information of the predetermined signal includes at least one of the following: The time-domain resource location of the predetermined signal; The frequency domain resource location of the predetermined signal; The location of the airspace resources of the predetermined signal; The signal sequence of the predetermined signal; Predetermined parameters are used to generate the signal sequence.

3. The method as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: Before determining the first period, the first PDCCH is monitored based on the second period; The method for determining the second period includes at least one of the following: Determined based on the agreement; The first configuration information sent by the network device is used to configure the second period. Determined based on relevant information of predetermined signals in the PDCCH prior to the first PDCCH.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The determination of the first period based on relevant information of the predetermined signal in the first PDCCH includes: Determine a predetermined correspondence, wherein the predetermined correspondence includes the correspondence between relevant information of the predetermined signal and the first period; The relevant information of the predetermined signal is determined based on the predetermined signal in the first PDCCH; The first period is determined based on the predetermined correspondence and the relevant information of the predetermined signal.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The determination of the first period based on relevant information of the predetermined signal in the first PDCCH includes: Determine the indication information in the relevant information carried in the predetermined signal, the indication information being used to indicate the first cycle; The first cycle is determined based on the indicated information.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The step of determining the listening period of the second PDCCH to be the first period includes: The N listening cycles of the second PDCCH are determined to be the first cycle, where N is a positive integer and N≥1.

7. The method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The method further includes at least one of the following: In response to the terminal not receiving a first instruction within a predetermined time period, the monitoring period of the second PDCCH is switched from the first period to the third period; wherein, the predetermined time period is agreed upon by the protocol, and / or, the predetermined time period is configured by the network device; the first instruction is used to instruct the terminal to switch the monitoring period of the second PDCCH; In response to the second PDCCH having undergone N listening cycles, the listening cycle of the second PDCCH is switched from the first cycle to the third cycle; In response to the terminal receiving a second instruction sent by the network device, the listening period of the second PDCCH is switched from the first period to the third period. The second instruction is used to instruct the terminal to stop listening to the second PDCCH based on the first period. The third period satisfies at least one of the following: the third period is agreed upon by the protocol, the third period is configured by the network device, or the third period is the listening period of the first PDCCH.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The step of determining the listening period of the second PDCCH to be the first period includes: The listening period of the second PDCCH within a predetermined time period is determined to be the first period; wherein, the predetermined time period is agreed upon by the protocol, and / or, the predetermined time period is configured by the network device.

9. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The method further includes at least one of the following: In response to the end of the predetermined time period, the monitoring period of the second PDCCH is switched from the first period to the third period; In response to the terminal receiving a second instruction sent by the network device, the listening period of the second PDCCH is switched from the first period to the third period. The second instruction is used to instruct the terminal to stop listening to the second PDCCH based on the first period. The third period satisfies at least one of the following: the third period is agreed upon by the protocol, the third period is configured by the network device, or the third period is the listening period of the first PDCCH.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1, 3, 7, and 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive second configuration information sent by a network device, the second configuration information being used to configure at least one candidate listening period; At least one candidate monitoring period is determined based on the agreement; Wherein, the first period, the second period, and the third period are any candidate monitoring periods.

11. A method for determining, characterized in that, Performed by a network device, the method includes: A first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) is sent to the terminal. The relevant information of a predetermined signal in the first PDCCH is used to determine a first period. The first period is the listening period of a second PDCCH. The second PDCCH includes PDCCHs following the first PDCCH.

12. The method as described in claim 11, characterized in that, The relevant information of the predetermined signal includes at least one of the following: The time-domain resource location of the predetermined signal; The frequency domain resource location of the predetermined signal; The location of the airspace resources of the predetermined signal; The signal sequence of the predetermined signal; Predetermined parameters are used to generate the signal sequence.

13. The method as described in claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send first configuration information to the terminal. The first configuration information is used to configure a second period, which is the listening period of the first PDCCH.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11-13, characterized in that, There is a predetermined correspondence between the relevant information of the predetermined signal and the first period; the predetermined correspondence is predefined by the protocol and / or determined by the network device.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11-14, characterized in that, The relevant information of the predetermined signal is included in the first PDCCH, and the relevant information of the predetermined signal carries indication information, which is used to indicate the first cycle.

16. A terminal, characterized in that, include: The transceiver module is used to receive the first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) sent by the network device. The processing module is used to determine the first period based on the relevant information of the predetermined signal in the first PDCCH; The processing module is further configured to determine that the listening period of the second PDCCH is the first period; wherein the second PDCCH includes the PDCCH following the first PDCCH.

17. A network device, characterized in that, include: The transceiver module is used to send a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) to the terminal. The relevant information of a predetermined signal in the first PDCCH is used to determine a first period. The first period is the listening period of a second PDCCH. The second PDCCH includes PDCCHs following the first PDCCH.

18. A terminal, characterized in that, include: One or more processors; The terminal is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

19. A network device, characterized in that, include: One or more processors; The network device is used to perform the method according to any one of claims 11 to 15.

20. A communication system, characterized in that, The method includes a network device and a terminal, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, and the network device is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 11 to 15.

21. A storage medium storing instructions, characterized in that, When the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device performs the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10 or 11 to 15.

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