Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and a communication apparatus, which are applicable to the field of satellite communications, e.g., NTNs. The method comprises: on the basis of first information and a first rule, a terminal determining a first detection occasion for a first PDCCH candidate and a second detection occasion for a second PDCCH candidate, wherein the first PDCCH candidate and the second PDCCH candidate are located in different slots and are used for transmitting identical downlink control information; and detecting the first PDCCH candidate at the first detection occasion, and / or detecting the second PDCCH candidate at the second detection occasion, wherein the first PDCCH candidate is counted as one PDCCH candidate for detection, and the second PDCCH candidate is counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection. The method provided in the present application realizes accurate determination of PDCCH candidates that are used for transmitting identical downlink control information.

Description

A communication method and communication device

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510398064.X, filed on March 28, 2025, entitled "A Communication Method and Communication Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

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

[0004] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard has approved the enhancement of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) within the common search space in certain application scenarios (such as satellite communications), which involves introducing PDCCH repetition. PDCCH repetition refers to the network side carrying the same downlink control information (DCI) on two or more PDCCH candidates to enhance the PDCCH channel and improve the success rate of the terminal receiving downlink control information.

[0005] How to reduce the probability of missing downlink control information and improve the robustness of PDCCH blind detection (BD) when using different PDCCH candidates to repeatedly transmit the same downlink control information remains to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and a communication device to reduce the probability of missed detection of downlink control information and improve the robustness of PDCCH blind detection.

[0007] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to the terminal side. For example, the executing entity can be a terminal or a component in the terminal, such as a communication module in the terminal, or a circuit or chip in the terminal responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core or a system-in-package (SIP) chip). It can also be a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the terminal functions. The method includes: determining a first detection timing for a first PDCCH candidate and a second detection timing for a second PDCCH candidate based on first information and a first rule; wherein the first information is used to indicate the detection timing of the PDCCH candidate, and the first rule is used to determine the first detection timing and the second detection timing for PDCCH candidates transmitting the same downlink control information; the first PDCCH candidate and the second PDCCH candidate are located in different time slots and are used to transmit the same downlink control information, and the first time slot where the first detection timing is located is earlier than the second time slot where the second detection timing is located; detecting the first PDCCH candidate at the first detection timing, and / or detecting the second PDCCH candidate at the second detection timing; wherein the first PDCCH candidate is counted as one PDCCH candidate for detection, and the second PDCCH candidate is counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection.

[0008] Based on the above scheme, the terminal can determine the detection timing of PDCCH candidates based on the first information, and determine which PDCCH candidates in the detection timings are used to transmit the same downlink control information based on the first rule. This achieves accurate determination of PDCCH candidates used to transmit the same downlink control information. For example, it determines that the first PDCCH candidate in the first detection timing and the second PDCCH candidate in the second detection timing are used to transmit the same downlink control information, which helps reduce the probability of missed detection of downlink control information and improves the robustness of PDCCH blind detection. In addition, the terminal and the network side clearly define that an additional blind detection count is included in the next time slot, so that the terminal and the access network equipment have a consistent understanding of the blind detection count corresponding to the PDCCH candidates detected in one time slot, which helps to further reduce the probability of missed detection of downlink control information and improve the robustness of PDCCH blind detection.

[0009] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to the network side. For example, the executing entity can be an access network device on the network side, a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) in the access network device, or a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device. The method includes: determining a first PDCCH candidate and a second PDCCH candidate for repeatedly transmitting the same downlink control information between time slots according to a first rule; sending the same downlink control information to the terminal from the first PDCCH candidate at a first detection time and the second PDCCH candidate at a second detection time, wherein the first time slot in which the first detection time is located is earlier than the second time slot in which the second detection time is located; wherein the first PDCCH candidate is counted as one PDCCH candidate for detection, and the second PDCCH candidate is counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection.

[0010] The description of the beneficial effects of the second aspect can be found in the description of the effects of the first aspect mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0011] In one possible implementation, a first message is sent to the terminal, the first message indicating the timing of PDCCH candidate detection.

[0012] Based on the above scheme, the terminal can determine the time-domain resource location and frequency-domain resource location of the PDCCH, which helps ensure that the terminal and the network have a consistent understanding of the time-frequency resources that may send downlink control information, and improves the robustness of PDCCH transmission.

[0013] Based on the first aspect and / or the second aspect described above, there are one or more possible implementation methods as follows:

[0014] In one possible implementation, the first rule is that the 2N-1th detection opportunity and the 2Nth detection opportunity, starting from system frame #0, are used for repeated transmission of PDCCH candidates. The time slot where the 2Nth detection opportunity is located is later than the time slot where the 2N-1th detection opportunity is located, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. Specifically, the first detection opportunity is the 2m-1th detection opportunity starting from system frame #0, and the second detection opportunity is the 2mth detection opportunity starting from system frame #0, where m is one of the values ​​of N.

[0015] Based on the above scheme, the terminal and the network can determine which two PDCCH candidates are used to send the same downlink control information, which helps to avoid downlink control information detection failure due to inconsistent understanding between the terminal and the network, and improves the reliability of PDCCH transmission.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the first rule is that when the number M of detection opportunities within the same system frame is odd, the 2N-1th and 2Nth detection opportunities starting from the system frame are used for repeated transmission of PDCCH candidates, and the last detection opportunity within the system frame is used for independent detection of downlink control information; the time slot where the 2Nth detection opportunity is located is later than the time slot where the 2N-1th detection opportunity is located, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to (M-1) / 2, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 3; wherein, the first detection opportunity is the 2m-1th detection opportunity starting from the system frame, the second detection opportunity is the 2mth detection opportunity starting from the system frame, and the value of m is one of the values ​​of N.

[0017] Based on the above scheme, when the time interval between the last PDCCH detection time in the previous frame and the first PDCCH detection time in the next frame is long, the PDCCH candidates in these two PDCCH detection times can be avoided for PDCCH retransmission, which shortens the processing delay of downlink control information, improves PDCCH transmission efficiency, and reduces terminal implementation complexity and storage cost, which is conducive to the deployment of PDCCH retransmission.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the first rule is that when the number M of detection opportunities within the same system frame is even, the 2N-1th detection opportunity and the 2Nth detection opportunity starting from the system frame are used for repeated transmission of PDCCH candidates; the time slot where the 2Nth detection opportunity is located is later than the time slot where the 2N-1th detection opportunity is located, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to M / 2, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 2; wherein, the first detection opportunity is the 2m-1th detection opportunity starting from the system frame, the second detection opportunity is the 2mth detection opportunity starting from the system frame, and the value of m is one of the values ​​of N.

[0019] Based on the above scheme, an odd number of PDCCH detection opportunities can be avoided in the same system frame, which would prevent the last PDCCH detection opportunity from being paired with the PDCCH candidate in the same system frame for inter-slot PDCCH retransmission. Furthermore, it can reduce the terminal's judgment of problem scenarios and simplify implementation, which is conducive to the terminal implementing the inter-slot PDCCH retransmission feature.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the first PDCCH candidate is included in the first public search space CSS, the first detection timing is the detection timing associated with the first CSS, the second PDCCH candidate is included in the second CSS, the second detection timing is the detection timing associated with the second CSS, and the indexes of the first CSS and the second CSS are different.

[0021] In one possible implementation, K s,i =K s,j T s,i =T s,j ;O s,j =O s,i +T s,i +A, where A is an integer greater than or equal to 1; K s,i =2*T s,i Among them, K s,i For the period of the first CSS, K s,j For the period of the second CSS, T s,i T represents the number of time slots in which PDCCH candidates are continuously detected within the period of the first CSS. s,j For the second CSS, the number of time slots for continuously detecting PDCCH candidates is the same within the period, O s,i O is the time slot offset value within the system frame for the first detection opportunity during the period of the first CSS. s,j This is the time slot offset value within the system frame for the first detection opportunity during the period of the second CSS.

[0022] Based on the above scheme, two PDCCH candidates used to send the same downlink control information can be located in adjacent or non-adjacent time slots, improving the flexibility of network configuration for PDCCH candidates used for inter-slot PDCCH repetitive transmission. It also avoids configuring two PDCCH candidates with different blind detection counting results in the same time slot, reducing the implementation complexity of the terminal.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the first time slot further includes a third detection opportunity, which is used to detect the same downlink control information as a fourth detection opportunity in a time slot outside the first time slot; wherein, the third PDCCH candidate detected on the third detection opportunity is counted as a PDCCH candidate for detection.

[0024] Based on the above scheme, the network configuration ensures that the blind detection count results of all PDCCH candidates included in a time slot are consistent. The terminal does not need to additionally determine whether a PDCCH candidate is the first or second transmission in a repeated transmission to determine the blind detection count result, which reduces the complexity of the terminal's PDCCH candidate counting and is conducive to the terminal realizing the PDCCH repeated transmission feature between time slots.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the second time slot further includes a fifth detection opportunity, which is used to detect the same downlink control information as a sixth detection opportunity in a time slot outside the second time slot; wherein, the fourth PDCCH candidate detected on the fifth detection opportunity is counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection.

[0026] Based on the above scheme, the network configuration ensures that the blind detection count results of all PDCCH candidates included in a time slot are consistent. The terminal does not need to additionally determine whether a PDCCH candidate is the first or second transmission in a repeated transmission to determine the blind detection count result, which reduces the complexity of the terminal's PDCCH candidate counting and is conducive to the terminal realizing the PDCCH repeated transmission feature between time slots.

[0027] In one possible implementation, the terminal does not expect different counts of PDCCH candidates to be configured on a time slot.

[0028] Based on the above scheme, avoiding the occurrence of two different blind detection counting results of PDCCH candidates in a single time slot in the network configuration can reduce the terminal's judgment of problem scenarios and simplify implementation, which is conducive to the terminal achieving the characteristic of repeated PDCCH transmission between time slots.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the first rule is either predefined by the protocol or configured on the network side.

[0030] Thirdly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to the terminal side. For example, the executing entity can be a terminal or a component in the terminal, such as a communication module in the terminal, or a circuit or chip in the terminal that is responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core). It can also be a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the terminal functions. The method includes: determining a first detection timing for a first PDCCH candidate and a second detection timing for a second PDCCH candidate based on first information and a first rule; wherein the first information is used to indicate the detection timing of the PDCCH candidate, and the first rule is used to determine the first detection timing and the second detection timing for PDCCH candidates transmitting the same downlink control information; the first PDCCH candidate and the second PDCCH candidate are located in different time slots and are used to transmit the same downlink control information, and the first time slot in which the first detection timing is located is earlier than the second time slot in which the second detection timing is located; detecting the first PDCCH candidate at the first detection timing, and / or detecting the second PDCCH candidate at the second detection timing; wherein the first PDCCH candidate is counted as one PDCCH candidate for detection, and the second PDCCH candidate is counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection; the first time slot further includes a third detection timing, the third detection timing and a fourth detection timing in a time slot outside the first time slot are used to detect the same downlink control information; wherein the third PDCCH candidate detected at the third detection timing is counted as one PDCCH candidate for detection.

[0031] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to the network side. For example, the executing entity can be an access network device on the network side, a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) in the access network device, or a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device. The method includes: determining a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate and a second PDCCH candidate for repeatedly transmitting the same downlink control information between time slots according to a first rule; sending the same downlink control information to the terminal from the first PDCCH candidate and the second PDCCH candidate at a first detection time, wherein the first time slot in which the first detection time is located is earlier than the second time slot in which the second detection time is located; wherein the first PDCCH candidate is counted as one PDCCH candidate for detection, and the second PDCCH candidate is counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection; the first time slot further includes a third detection time, wherein the third detection time and a fourth detection time in a time slot other than the first time slot are used to detect the same downlink control information; wherein the third PDCCH candidate detected at the third detection time is counted as one PDCCH candidate for detection.

[0032] Based on the third and / or fourth aspects mentioned above, there are one or more possible implementation methods as follows:

[0033] In one possible implementation, the second time slot further includes a fifth detection opportunity, which is used to detect the same downlink control information as a sixth detection opportunity in a time slot outside the second time slot; wherein, the fourth PDCCH candidate detected on the fifth detection opportunity is counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the fourth detection timing is located in the second time slot.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the sixth detection timing is located in the first time slot.

[0036] Fifthly, this application provides a communication device that has the function of implementing the first aspect, the third aspect, any possible implementation method of the first aspect or any possible implementation method of the third aspect. For example, the communication device includes modules, units or means corresponding to the operations involved in performing the first aspect, the third aspect, any possible implementation method of the first aspect or any possible implementation method of the third aspect. The modules, units or means can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0037] Sixthly, this application provides a communication device that has the function of implementing the second aspect, the fourth aspect, any possible implementation method of the second aspect or any possible implementation method of the fourth aspect. For example, the communication device includes modules, units or means corresponding to the operations involved in performing the second aspect, the fourth aspect, any possible implementation method of the second aspect or any possible implementation method of the fourth aspect. The modules, units or means can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0038] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a communication device including an interface circuit and one or more processors. The one or more processors are coupled to a memory. The memory stores part or all of the necessary computer program or instructions for implementing the functions involved in the first aspect, the third aspect, any possible implementation of the first aspect, or any possible implementation of the third aspect. The one or more processors can execute the computer program or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication device to implement the first aspect, the third aspect, any possible implementation of the first aspect, or any possible implementation of the third aspect. The interface circuit is used to implement the communication functions within the communication device and / or the communication functions between the communication device and other devices or components.

[0039] In one possible design, the processor is used to communicate with other devices or components through the interface circuit.

[0040] In one possible design, the communication device may also include the memory.

[0041] The aforementioned communication device may be a terminal, a communication module in a terminal, or a chip in a terminal that is responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip) or a SoC or SIP chip containing a modem module.

[0042] Eighthly, this application provides a communication device including an interface circuit and one or more processors. The one or more processors are coupled to a memory. The memory stores part or all of the necessary computer program or instructions for implementing the functions involved in the second aspect, the fourth aspect, any possible implementation of the second aspect, or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect described above. The one or more processors can execute the computer program or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication device to implement the second aspect, the fourth aspect, any possible implementation of the second aspect, or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect described above. The interface circuit is used to implement communication functions within the communication device and / or communication functions between the communication device and other devices or components.

[0043] The aforementioned communication device may be an access network device, a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) within the access network device, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network device.

[0044] Ninthly, this application provides a chip (or chip system) including a processor for implementing the first to fourth aspects above, or any possible implementation method of the first to fourth aspects.

[0045] In a tenth aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, implement the first to fourth aspects, or any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects.

[0046] In one aspect, this application provides a computer program product comprising a computer program or instructions that, when executed, implement the first to fourth aspects, or any possible implementation method of the first to fourth aspects.

[0047] In a twelfth aspect, this application provides a communication system, including a terminal for performing the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, and an access network device for performing the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0048] In a thirteenth aspect, this application provides a communication system, including a terminal for performing the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect, and an access network device for performing the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect. Attached Figure Description

[0049] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting system;

[0050] Figure 2 shows typical application scenarios of satellite networks;

[0051] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of PDCCH detection timing in the time domain provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0053] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of PDCCH detection timing in the time domain provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0054] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of PDCCH detection timing in the time domain provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0055] Figure 7(a) is a schematic diagram of the counting of PDCCH candidates in a time slot;

[0056] Figure 7(b) is a schematic diagram of the counting of PDCCH candidates in a time slot;

[0057] Figure 8(a) is an example diagram of different CSS used to repeatedly send the same downlink control information;

[0058] Figure 8(b) shows another example of different CSSs used to repeatedly send the same downlink control information;

[0059] Figure 9 is a possible exemplary block diagram of the communication device involved in the embodiments of this application;

[0060] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0061] Figure 1 is a possible, non-limiting system schematic diagram. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 10 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. Optionally, the communication system also includes an Internet 300. RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wired connected to core network 200. The core network equipment in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0062] RAN100 can be a 3GPP-related cellular system, such as a 4th generation (4G) or 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication system, or a future-oriented evolution system. RAN100 can also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0063] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, constitutes part of the communication system and is used to help terminals achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in communication system 10 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j accessing RAN 100 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; but for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal. RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are sometimes both referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0064] In one possible scenario, a RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. A RAN node can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. In satellite communication systems, a RAN node can be a satellite or a high altitude platform station (HAPS), or a base station device mounted on a satellite. A RAN node can also be a gateway station (or ground station, earth station, signaling station, gateway, or gateway station). Optionally, a RAN node can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The RAN node may also be equipped with communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform corresponding communication functions. The RAN node may also be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions and corresponding program instructions. The RAN node in this application can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the RAN node functions.

[0065] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes each implementing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio equipment, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0066] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an open radio access network (ORAN) system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0067] A terminal can be a device or module that accesses the aforementioned communication system and has corresponding communication functions. A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, transportation vehicles with wireless communication capabilities, communication modules, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal. A terminal typically contains a communication module, circuit, or chip that performs the corresponding communication function. The terminal can also be configured with program instructions for performing the corresponding communication function.

[0068] Figure 2 illustrates a typical application scenario of satellite networks. This satellite network uses a 5G base station on a satellite as an example for illustration. Ground terminals access the network through the 5G New Radio interface. The 5G base stations are deployed on the satellite and connected to the ground core network via wireless links. Simultaneously, wireless links exist between the satellites to facilitate signaling interaction and user data transmission between 5G base stations.

[0069] The network elements and interfaces in Figure 2 are described below:

[0070] (1) Terminal: Mobile devices that support 5G New Radio, such as mobile phones and tablets. They can access satellite networks and initiate services such as making calls and accessing the Internet through the air interface. For specific forms of terminals, please refer to the terminals described in Figure 1.

[0071] (2) 5G base station: mainly provides wireless access services, allocates wireless resources to terminals, and provides reliable wireless transmission protocols and data encryption protocols, etc. This 5G base station is one type of access network equipment shown in Figure 1.

[0072] (3) Ground station: responsible for forwarding signaling and service data between satellite base stations and 5G core network.

[0073] (4) 5G Core Network: Primarily used to provide functions such as user access control, mobility management, session management, user security authentication, and billing. The core network consists of multiple functional units, which can be divided into control plane network elements (or control plane functional units) and user plane network elements (or user plane processing units). User plane network elements are responsible for the transmission of service data; for example, user plane network elements may include, but are not limited to, user plane function (UPF) network elements. Control plane network elements are responsible for the management of the mobile network; for example, control plane network elements may include, but are not limited to, access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements and session management function (SMF) network elements. AMF network elements are responsible for user access management, security authentication, and mobility management. SMF network elements are responsible for terminal session management (including session establishment, modification, and release), UPF network element selection and reselection, terminal Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation, Quality of Service (QoS) control, and selection of UPF network elements providing packet forwarding functions. UPF network elements are used to manage user plane data transmission, traffic statistics, and other functions.

[0074] (5) Data Network: A data network that provides business services (such as data and / or voice services) to users. Generally, the client is located at the terminal and the server is located in the data network. The data network can be a private network, such as a local area network, or an external network not controlled by the operator, such as the Internet, or a dedicated network jointly deployed by the operator, such as a network that provides IP multimedia core network subsystem (IMS) services.

[0075] (6) 5G New Radio: The wireless link between the terminal and the 5G base station.

[0076] (7) Xn interface: The interface between 5G base stations, mainly used for signaling interaction such as handover.

[0077] (8) NG interface: The interface between the 5G base station and the 5G core network, used for exchanging signaling such as the non-access stratum (NAS) of the core network and user service data.

[0078] The following is an explanation of the nouns or terms used in the embodiments of this application.

[0079] I. Search Space Set

[0080] The network configures the terminal to detect which DCI and at what time domain location through higher-level parameters. The configuration includes the number of PDCCH candidates for each aggregation level (AL) in the search space set, the detection period, the detection time slot offset, etc.

[0081] The search space is an area within the control resource set (CORESET) where the terminal detects specific PDCCH / DCIs. There are two main types of search spaces: the common search space (CSS) and the user equipment specific search space (USS). The CSS can be of type 0, type 0A, type 1, or type 2, etc.

[0082] II. PDCCH Monitoring Occasion

[0083] The PDCCH detection timing represents the specific temporal location, such as a consecutive symbol position or slot position, of a DCI scrambled by a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) under a certain search space set configuration. The terminal determines a PDCCH detection timing based on the parameters of the search space set configured by the network and the control resource set parameters associated with this search space set.

[0084] III. PDCCH Candidates

[0085] PDCCH candidates represent the PDCCH candidates contained in a certain aggregation level of the search space set configuration. During terminal blind detection, it is necessary to find the specific PDCCH detection timing and perform blind detection one by one according to each PDCCH candidate in the different aggregation levels configured in CORESET until the DCI format being monitored is detected, or until the maximum number of blind detections is reached.

[0086] IV. Maximum number of blind inspections

[0087] The New Radio (NR) protocol specifies the maximum number of blind detections a terminal can perform per unit of time on PDCCH candidates. This unit of time can be a time slot or a time span. The PDCCH candidates being monitored include those on the CSS and those on the USS. The maximum number of blind detections is generally equal to the number of PDCCH candidates.

[0088] In this context, one blind detection or a blind detection count of 1 can be understood as the terminal performing one decoding operation on one PDCCH candidate. The protocol describes this as: one PDCCH candidate count is one PDCCH candidate used for detection (or listening). It can be understood that the terminal performs blind detection counting on one PDCCH candidate according to the counting rules defined in protocol TS38.213, determining that one PDCCH candidate is one PDCCH candidate used for detection, or determining that the blind detection count of one PDCCH candidate is 1. This can be understood as the result of the blind detection count for one PDCCH candidate.

[0089] For terminals that have not received monitoringCapabilityConfig (e.g., terminals in the initial access phase or terminals that have not entered the connected state), NR specifies that the "unit time" for the terminal to listen is fixed at the slot granularity (per slot), that is, slot-level listening.

[0090] Table 1 shows the maximum number of PDCCH candidates (i.e., the maximum number of blind detections) at different subcarrier spacing (SCS) granularities.

[0091] Table 1

[0092] Wherein, the subcarrier spacing is equal to 2 μ *15kHz. For example, when μ=0, the subcarrier spacing is 15kHz, and when μ=1, the subcarrier spacing is 30kHz.

[0093] Referring to Table 1, when μ = 0, the maximum number of times the terminal can listen to PDCCH candidates in each time slot is 44; when μ = 1, the maximum number of times the terminal can listen to PDCCH candidates in each time slot is 36, and so on.

[0094] For terminals that have activated Radio Resource Control (RRC) after entering connected state, the network side can configure the detection granularity to the terminal through monitoringCapabilityConfig, which is the "unit time" of terminal detection. For example, "unit time" can be a slot or a span. A span can, for example, consist of two or three consecutive OFDM symbols in the time domain.

[0095] If the unit time is a time slot granularity, then Table 1 above provides the maximum number of PDCCH candidates for different subcarrier intervals at the time slot granularity. If the unit time is a time span granularity, then Table 2 provides the maximum number of PDCCH candidates for different subcarrier intervals at the time span granularity.

[0096] Table 2

[0097] Any combination (X,Y) in Table 2 above indicates the terminal's supported time span granularity for listening, where X is the supported time span interval, and Y is the number of symbols occupied by the time span within the time span interval. The network side can configure the terminal to set the maximum number of times to listen to PDCCH candidates according to the time span level using this parameter (X,Y).

[0098] Referring to Table 2, when μ = 0 and (X,Y) = (7,3), it means that when the subcarrier spacing is 15kHz, for a terminal that supports (7,3) time span granularity monitoring, it can perform a maximum of 44 blind detections in each time span. The same applies to other cases, and further examples will not be provided.

[0099] Generally speaking, the greater the maximum number of blind detections allowed per unit time, the higher the requirements for the terminal's blind detection capability, which means the terminal is more complex. However, the advantage is that the network side can have greater flexibility in configuring control resources.

[0100] The 3GPP standard has approved the enhancement of the PDCCH channel in the common search space in certain application scenarios (such as satellite communication scenarios), which is called PDCCH repetition. PDCCH repetition refers to the network side carrying the same downlink control information on two or more PDCCH candidates to enhance the PDCCH channel and improve the success rate of the terminal receiving downlink control information.

[0101] For example, during the capability reporting phase after initial access, the terminal reports its blind detection capability for PDCCH repetition to the network side, with a value of 2BD or 3BD. 2BD means the terminal needs to perform a separate blind detection on the first PDCCH candidate out of the two PDCCH candidates used for repetition, and also a separate blind detection on the second PDCCH candidate out of the two PDCCH candidates used for repetition. 3BD means that, in addition to 2BD, a further blind detection is performed on the content after soft-combining the first and second PDCCH candidates. That is, in the case of 2BD, the terminal's blind detection count is 2, and in the case of 3BD, the terminal's blind detection count is 3.

[0102] In the presence of two PDCCH candidates for repeated transmission, due to the additional blind detection, the terminal and access network equipment may have inconsistent interpretations of the blind detection count corresponding to the PDCCH candidate detected within a time slot, resulting in missed detection of downlink control information.

[0103] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides corresponding solutions.

[0104] The communication method and apparatus are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is understood that this application uses access network equipment and a terminal as examples of the execution subjects in the interactive illustration, but this application does not limit the execution subjects of the interactive illustration. For example, the method executed by the access network equipment in this application can also be implemented by modules (e.g., circuits, chips, or chip systems) in the access network equipment, or by logic nodes, logic modules, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network equipment; similarly, the method executed by the terminal in this application can also be implemented by components in the terminal, such as by communication modules applicable to the terminal or circuits or chips responsible for communication functions in the terminal (e.g., modem chips (also known as baseband chips), or SoC chips containing modem cores, or SIP chips), or by logic modules or software that can implement all or part of the terminal functions. For ease of explanation, the following description uses access network equipment and a terminal as examples of the execution subjects.

[0105] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method includes the following steps:

[0106] Step 301: The access network device determines the first PDCCH candidate and the second PDCCH candidate for repeated transmission of the same downlink control information between time slots according to the first rule.

[0107] The first PDCCH candidate and the second PDCCH candidate are located in different time slots and are used to transmit the same downlink control information.

[0108] The first rule can be predefined by the protocol or configured on the network side (e.g., configured by the access network device or core network device).

[0109] Step 302: The access network device sends the same downlink control information to the terminal from the first PDCCH candidate at the first detection time and the second PDCCH candidate at the second detection time.

[0110] The first time slot in which the first detection occurs is earlier than the second time slot in which the second detection occurs. This application does not limit the size of the time slot interval between the first and second time slots. For example, the time slot interval can be 1, 2, or 3, etc.

[0111] Step 303: The terminal determines the first detection timing of the first PDCCH candidate and the second detection timing of the second PDCCH candidate based on the first information and the first rule.

[0112] The first information is used to indicate the timing of PDCCH candidate detection. This first information may include one or more of the following: the period of one or more CSS, the number of time slots for continuous detection of PDCCH candidates within each CSS period, or the time slot offset value of the first detection timing within each CSS period in the system frame.

[0113] Optionally, the first information may also include indication information, which is used to enable the detection of PDCCH candidates for inter-slot repetitive transmission, that is, to trigger the terminal to perform the detection of PDCCH candidates for inter-slot repetitive transmission.

[0114] For example, the first information may be obtained by the terminal from the network side (e.g., access network equipment or core network equipment).

[0115] The first rule is used to determine the first and second detection times for PDCCH candidates that transmit the same downlink control information. Alternatively, it can be understood as indicating which PDCCH candidates at which detection times are used to transmit the same downlink control information.

[0116] If the first rule is configured on the network side, the terminal also needs to obtain the instruction information of the first rule from the network side.

[0117] Step 304: The terminal detects the first PDCCH candidate at the first detection time, and / or detects the second PDCCH candidate at the second detection time.

[0118] In actual detection, the terminal may detect the first PDCCH candidate only at the first detection time, or the second PDCCH candidate only at the second detection time, or both at the first and second detection times. The terminal can obtain downlink control information by detecting the first and / or second PDCCH candidates.

[0119] When the terminal detects the first PDCCH candidate at the first detection time and the second PDCCH candidate at the second detection time, the terminal performs one blind detection on the first PDCCH candidate, one blind detection on the second PDCCH candidate, and one blind detection after soft merging the first PDCCH candidate and the second PDCCH candidate. Therefore, the terminal actually performs 3 blind detections on the first PDCCH candidate and the second PDCCH candidate.

[0120] When the terminal performs three blind detections, the success rate of the terminal detecting downlink control information can be improved, thereby enhancing the PDCCH channel.

[0121] In this process, the first PDCCH candidate is counted as one PDCCH candidate for detection, and the second PDCCH candidate is counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection. That is, the additional blind detection count is included in the second PDCCH candidate in the later time slot (i.e., the second time slot).

[0122] Based on the above scheme, the terminal can determine the detection timing of PDCCH candidates based on the first information, and determine which PDCCH candidates in the detection timings are used to transmit the same downlink control information based on the first rule. This achieves accurate determination of PDCCH candidates used to transmit the same downlink control information. For example, it determines that the first PDCCH candidate in the first detection timing and the second PDCCH candidate in the second detection timing are used to transmit the same downlink control information, which helps reduce the probability of missing downlink control information and improves the robustness of PDCCH blind detection. In addition, the terminal and the network side clearly define that an additional blind detection count is included in the next time slot, so that the terminal and the access network equipment have a consistent understanding of the blind detection count corresponding to the PDCCH candidates detected within a time slot, which helps reduce the probability of missing downlink control information and improves the robustness of PDCCH blind detection.

[0123] The following description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, explains the various implementation methods of the first rule mentioned above.

[0124] In the first implementation method, the first rule is that the 2N-1th detection opportunity and the 2Nth detection opportunity, starting from system frame #0, are used for repeated transmission of PDCCH candidates. The time slot where the 2Nth detection opportunity is located is later than the time slot where the 2N-1th detection opportunity is located, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0125] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of PDCCH detection opportunities in the time domain according to the embodiments of this application. In the figure, CSS represents the common search space corresponding to the detection opportunity, and a common search space includes one or more PDCCH candidates. Each system frame contains 10 time slots, and the time slot offset value O of the CSS at the first detection opportunity within a system frame is... s =2. In this example, the first detection opportunity is located in the 3rd time slot within system frame #0, the second detection opportunity is located in the 4th time slot within system frame #0, ..., the 7th detection opportunity is located in the 10th time slot within system frame #0, the 8th detection opportunity is located in the 3rd time slot within system frame #1, and so on. Furthermore, the 1st and 2nd detection opportunities are used to repeatedly transmit the same downlink control information, ..., the 7th and 8th detection opportunities are used to repeatedly transmit the same downlink control information, and so on. Each system frame contains 7 detection opportunities. All the detection opportunities within a system frame are grouped together to define which detection opportunities' PDCCH candidates are counted as one PDCCH candidate for detection, and which detection opportunities' PDCCH candidates are counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection. In the example in Figure 4, the PDCCH candidates at the two detection times indicated by one arrow are used to repeatedly transmit the same downlink control information. The PDCCH candidate at the first detection time is counted as one PDCCH candidate used for detection, and the PDCCH candidate at the second detection time is counted as two PDCCH candidates used for detection. The number "1" in the figure indicates that the corresponding PDCCH candidate at the detection time is counted as one PDCCH candidate used for detection, and the number "2" in the figure indicates that the corresponding PDCCH candidate at the detection time is counted as two PDCCH candidates used for detection.

[0126] Based on this implementation method, in the embodiment of Figure 3, the first detection timing can be the 2m-1th detection timing starting from system frame #0, and the second detection timing can be the 2mth detection timing starting from system frame #0, where m is one of the values ​​of N. For example, if m = 1, then the first detection timing is the 1st detection timing starting from system frame #0, and the second detection timing is the 2nd detection timing starting from system frame #0. As another example, if m = 4, then the first detection timing is the 7th detection timing starting from system frame #0, and the second detection timing is the 7th detection timing starting from system frame #0 (i.e., the 1st detection timing within system frame #1).

[0127] The second implementation method follows this rule: when the number of detection opportunities M within the same system frame is odd, the (2N-1)th and 2Nth detection opportunities from the start of the system frame are used for repeated transmission of PDCCH candidates, and the last detection opportunity within the system frame is used for independent (individual) detection of downlink control information. The time slot of the 2Nth detection opportunity is later than the time slot of the (2N-1)th detection opportunity, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to (M-1) / 2, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 3.

[0128] The term "independent detection downlink control information" can also be described as not being used for repeated transmission of PDCCH candidates, or as being used for independent transmission of PDCCH candidates, or as having no other PDCCH candidate bearer carrying the same downlink control information as the PDCCH candidate bearer at the last detection time, etc. The network can send downlink control information to the terminal on PDCCH candidates used for independent transmission.

[0129] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of PDCCH detection opportunities in the time domain according to the embodiments of this application. In the figure, CSS represents the common search space corresponding to the detection opportunity, and a common search space includes one or more PDCCH candidates. Each system frame contains 10 time slots, and the time slot offset value O of the CSS at the first detection opportunity within a system frame is... s=2. In this example, the number of detection opportunities within each system frame is odd. The first detection opportunity is located in the 3rd time slot within system frame #0, the second detection opportunity is located in the 4th time slot within system frame #0, ..., the 7th detection opportunity is located in the 10th time slot within system frame #0, the 8th detection opportunity is located in the 3rd time slot within system frame #1, the 9th detection opportunity is located in the 4th time slot within system frame #1, and so on. Furthermore, the 1st and 2nd detection opportunities are used to repeatedly transmit the same downlink control information, ..., the 5th and 6th detection opportunities are used to repeatedly transmit the same downlink control information, and the 7th detection opportunity is used to independently detect downlink control information. The 8th detection opportunity (i.e., the 1st detection opportunity within system frame #1) and the 9th detection opportunity (i.e., the 2nd detection opportunity within system frame #1) are used to repeatedly transmit the same downlink control information, and so on. Each system frame contains 7 detection opportunities. The 7th detection opportunity in system frame #0 and the 7th detection opportunity in system frame #1 are both used for independent PDCCH transmission. In the example in Figure 5, the PDCCH candidates at the two detection opportunities indicated by an arrow are used to repeatedly transmit the same downlink control information, and the PDCCH candidate at the first detection opportunity is counted as one PDCCH candidate for detection, while the PDCCH candidate at the second detection opportunity is counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection. The number "1" in the figure indicates that the corresponding PDCCH candidate at the detection opportunity is counted as one PDCCH candidate for detection, and the number "2" in the figure indicates that the corresponding PDCCH candidate at the detection opportunity is counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection.

[0130] Based on this second implementation method, in the embodiment of Figure 3, the first detection timing can be the 2m-1th detection timing starting from a system frame, and the second detection timing can be the 2mth detection timing starting from that system frame, where m is one of the values ​​of N. For example, taking system frame #0 as an example, when m=1, the first detection timing is the 1st detection timing starting from system frame #0, and the second detection timing is the 2nd detection timing starting from system frame #0. When m=2, the first detection timing is the 3rd detection timing starting from system frame #0, and the second detection timing is the 4th detection timing starting from system frame #0 (i.e., the 1st detection timing within system frame #1). When m=3, the first detection timing is the 5th detection timing starting from system frame #0, and the second detection timing is the 6th detection timing starting from system frame #0.

[0131] The third implementation method follows this rule: when the number of detection opportunities M within the same system frame is even, the (2N-1)th and 2Nth detection opportunities from the start of the system frame are used for repeated transmission of PDCCH candidates. The time slot containing the 2Nth detection opportunity is later than the time slot containing the (2N-1)th detection opportunity. N is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to M / 2, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0132] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of PDCCH detection opportunities in the time domain according to the embodiments of this application. In the figure, CSS represents the common search space corresponding to the detection opportunity, and a common search space includes one or more PDCCH candidates. Each system frame contains 10 time slots, and the time slot offset value O of the CSS at the first detection opportunity within a system frame is... s =2. In this example, the number of detection opportunities within each system frame is even. The first detection opportunity is located in the third time slot within system frame #0, the second detection opportunity is located in the fourth time slot within system frame #0, ..., the seventh detection opportunity is located in the third time slot within system frame #1, the eighth detection opportunity is located in the fourth time slot within system frame #1, and so on. Furthermore, the first and second detection opportunities are used to repeatedly transmit the same downlink control information, ..., the fifth and sixth detection opportunities are used to repeatedly transmit the same downlink control information, the seventh detection opportunity (i.e., the first detection opportunity within system frame #1) and the eighth detection opportunity (i.e., the second detection opportunity within system frame #1) are used to repeatedly transmit the same downlink control information, and so on. Each system frame contains 6 detection opportunities. In the example in Figure 5, the PDCCH candidates at the two detection times indicated by one arrow are used to repeatedly transmit the same downlink control information. The PDCCH candidate at the first detection time is counted as one PDCCH candidate used for detection, and the PDCCH candidate at the second detection time is counted as two PDCCH candidates used for detection. The number "1" in the figure indicates that the corresponding PDCCH candidate at the detection time is counted as one PDCCH candidate used for detection, and the number "2" in the figure indicates that the corresponding PDCCH candidate at the detection time is counted as two PDCCH candidates used for detection.

[0133] Based on this third implementation method, in the embodiment of Figure 3, the first detection timing can be the 2m-1th detection timing starting from a system frame, and the second detection timing can be the 2mth detection timing starting from that system frame, where m is one of the values ​​of N. For example, taking system frame #0 as an example, when m=1, the first detection timing is the 1st detection timing starting from system frame #0, and the second detection timing is the 2nd detection timing starting from system frame #0. When m=2, the first detection timing is the 3rd detection timing starting from system frame #0, and the second detection timing is the 4th detection timing starting from system frame #0 (i.e., the 1st detection timing within system frame #1). When m=3, the first detection timing is the 5th detection timing starting from system frame #0, and the second detection timing is the 6th detection timing starting from system frame #0.

[0134] As one implementation method, when the first PDCCH candidate is contained in the first CSS and the second PDCCH candidate is contained in the second CSS, then the first detection timing is the detection timing associated with the first CSS, and the second detection timing is the detection timing associated with the second CSS. That is, the first detection timing is one of one or more detection timings corresponding to the first CSS, and the second detection timing is one of one or more detection timings corresponding to the second CSS. The index of the first CSS and the index of the second CSS can be the same or different. That is, the same CSS can be used to repeat PDCCH candidates, or different CSSs can be used to repeat PDCCH candidates. Specifically, when the index of the first CSS and the index of the second CSS are the same, then the frequency domain resources of the first CSS and the second CSS are the same. When the index of the first CSS and the index of the second CSS are different, then the frequency domain resources of the first CSS and the second CSS are different.

[0135] As an implementation method, the terminal does not expect different counts of PDCCH candidates to be configured on a time slot. This reduces the complexity of counting PDCCH candidates on a time slot, which helps to reduce the implementation complexity and power consumption of the terminal. Different counts of PDCCH candidates can be understood as at least two PDCCH candidates having different blind detection count results.

[0136] Taking the first time slot in the embodiment of Figure 3 as an example, if the first PDCCH candidate in the first time slot is counted as a PDCCH candidate for detection, then all other PDCCH candidates in the first time slot are also counted as PDCCH candidates for detection. Figure 7(a) is a schematic diagram of the counting of PDCCH candidates in a time slot. In this example, the first time slot includes a first detection opportunity and a third detection opportunity. The third detection opportunity is any detection opportunity other than the first detection opportunity in the first time slot. The first PDCCH candidate detected at the first detection opportunity is counted as a PDCCH candidate for detection, and the third PDCCH candidate detected at the third detection opportunity is also counted as a PDCCH candidate for detection. The first PDCCH candidate detected at the first detection opportunity and the second PDCCH candidate detected at the second detection opportunity in the second time slot are used to repeatedly transmit the same downlink control information. The third PDCCH candidate detected at the third detection opportunity and the PDCCH candidate detected at the fourth detection opportunity in a time slot outside the first time slot (e.g., the second or third time slot) are used to repeatedly transmit the same downlink control information.

[0137] Taking the second time slot in the embodiment of Figure 3 as an example, if the second PDCCH candidate in the second time slot is counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection, then all other PDCCH candidates in the second time slot are also counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection. Figure 7(b) is a schematic diagram of the counting of PDCCH candidates in a time slot. In this example, the second time slot includes a second detection time and a fifth detection time. The fifth detection time is any detection time in the second time slot other than the second detection time. The second PDCCH candidate detected at the second detection time is counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection, and the fourth PDCCH candidate detected at the fifth detection time is also counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection. The second PDCCH candidate detected at the second detection time and the first PDCCH candidate detected at the first detection time in the first time slot are used to repeatedly transmit the same downlink control information. The fourth PDCCH candidate detected at the fifth detection time and the PDCCH candidate detected at the sixth detection time in a time slot outside the second time slot (e.g., the first time slot or the fourth time slot) are used to repeatedly transmit the same downlink control information.

[0138] As one implementation method, the first PDCCH candidate is included in the first CSS (also known as CSS). i The second PDCCH candidate is included in the second CSS (also known as CSS). j If the index of the first CSS is different from the index of the second CSS, the following correspondence can be set:

[0139] Ks,i =K s,j T s,i =T s,j O s,j =O s,i +T s,i +A, and K s,i =2*T s,i .

[0140] Where A is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and A is a constant, the unit is time slot, and K s,i For the first CSS cycle, K s,j For the second CSS cycle, T s,i T represents the number of time slots in which PDCCH candidates are continuously detected within the first CSS period. s,j For the second CSS, the number of time slots for continuously detecting PDCCH candidates is the same within the period, O s,i O is the slot offset value within the system frame for the first detection opportunity during the first CSS cycle. s,j This is the time slot offset value within the system frame for the first detection opportunity during the second CSS cycle.

[0141] The following two specific examples will illustrate this point.

[0142] Figure 8(a) shows an example diagram of different CSSs used to repeatedly send the same downlink control information. In this example, the first CSS (i.e., CSS...) i The relevant parameters are: O s,i =2,T s,i =1,K s,i =2, the second CSS (i.e., CSS) j The relevant parameters are: O s,j =3,T s,j =1,K s,j =2. One of them, a double-headed arrow, is associated with the CSS. i A PDCCH candidate with CSS i One of the two PDCCH candidates is used to repeatedly transmit the same downlink control information.

[0143] Figure 8(b) shows another example of different CSSs used to repeatedly send the same downlink control information. In this example, the first CSS (i.e., CSS...) i The relevant parameters are: O s,i =2,T s,i =2,K s,i =4, the second CSS (i.e., CSS) j The relevant parameters are: O s,j =5,T s,j =2,K s,j=4. One of them is a double-headed arrow associated with CSS. i A PDCCH candidate with CSS i One of the two PDCCH candidates is used to repeatedly transmit the same downlink control information.

[0144] Based on the scheme of this application embodiment, the first PDCCH candidate in the first time slot and the second PDCCH candidate in the second time slot are used to repeatedly transmit the same downlink control information. The first PDCCH candidate in the first time slot is counted as one PDCCH candidate for detection, and the second PDCCH candidate in the second time slot is counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection. Since the terminal has a maximum blind detection limit within a time slot, and each PDCCH candidate in the second time slot is counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection, the blind detection count in the second time slot is easier (or faster) to reach the maximum blind detection count. Therefore, after reaching the maximum blind detection count, blind detection is no longer performed on other PDCCH candidates in the second time slot (e.g., PDCCH candidates in the USS), resulting in lost blind detection. To minimize the loss of blind detection, in this application embodiment, the PDCCH candidates in the USS can be configured as much as possible in those time slots (e.g., the first time slot) where the PDCCH candidate is counted as one PDCCH candidate.

[0145] It should be noted that the embodiments in this application are illustrated using two PDCCH candidates to repeatedly transmit the same downlink control information, and these two PDCCH candidates are located in different time slots. In other implementation methods, it can also be extended to using m PDCCH candidates to repeatedly transmit the same downlink control information, and these m PDCCH candidates are located in different time slots, where m is an integer greater than or equal to 3. Taking m=4 as an example, for four PDCCH candidates to repeatedly transmit the same downlink control information, the first PDCCH candidate among the four PDCCH candidates can be counted as one PDCCH candidate for detection, the second PDCCH candidate among the four PDCCH candidates can be counted as one PDCCH candidate for detection, the third PDCCH candidate among the four PDCCH candidates can be counted as one PDCCH candidate for detection, and the fourth PDCCH candidate among the four PDCCH candidates can be counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection. The specific implementation method for repeatedly sending the same downlink control information using m PDCCH candidates can be extended based on the various methods provided in the embodiments of this application, and will not be described in detail here.

[0146] It should be noted that the term "system frame" in the various schemes mentioned above in this application can be replaced with "radio frame". For example, the definition of the first rule in the first implementation method can be replaced with "the first rule is to determine the 2N-1th detection opportunity and the 2Nth detection opportunity for repeated transmission of PDCCH candidates starting from radio frame #0". The relationship between system frames and radio frames is as follows: one system frame contains 1024 radio frames, the system frame number ranges from 0 to 1023, and the length of one radio frame is 10ms.

[0147] Figure 9 illustrates a possible exemplary block diagram of the communication device involved in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 9, the communication device 900 may include modules or units for implementing the methods described above. In one possible design, the communication device 900 includes a processing unit 902 and a communication unit 903. Optionally, the communication device 900 may further include a storage unit 901 for storing device program code and / or data.

[0148] The communication device 900 can be a terminal-side device in the above embodiments, such as a terminal or a component in a terminal, like a communication module that can be applied to a terminal, or a circuit or chip in a terminal that is responsible for communication functions.

[0149] For example, in one embodiment, processing unit 902 is configured to determine a first detection timing for a first PDCCH candidate and a second detection timing for a second PDCCH candidate based on first information and a first rule; wherein the first information is used to indicate the detection timing of the PDCCH candidate, and the first rule is used to determine the first detection timing and the second detection timing for PDCCH candidates transmitting the same downlink control information; the first PDCCH candidate and the second PDCCH candidate are located in different time slots and are used to transmit the same downlink control information, and the first time slot where the first detection timing is located is earlier than the second time slot where the second detection timing is located; and, the first PDCCH candidate is detected at the first detection timing, and / or the second PDCCH candidate is detected at the second detection timing; wherein the first PDCCH candidate is counted as one PDCCH candidate for detection, and the second PDCCH candidate is counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection.

[0150] For example, in one embodiment, processing unit 902 is configured to determine a first detection timing for a first PDCCH candidate and a second detection timing for a second PDCCH candidate based on first information and a first rule; wherein the first information is used to indicate the detection timing of the PDCCH candidate, and the first rule is used to determine the first detection timing and the second detection timing for PDCCH candidates transmitting the same downlink control information; the first PDCCH candidate and the second PDCCH candidate are located in different time slots and are used to transmit the same downlink control information, and the first time slot where the first detection timing is located is earlier than the second time slot where the second detection timing is located; the first PDCCH candidate is detected at the first detection timing, and / or the second PDCCH candidate is detected at the second detection timing; wherein the first PDCCH candidate is counted as one PDCCH candidate for detection, and the second PDCCH candidate is counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection; the first time slot further includes a third detection timing, and the third detection timing and a fourth detection timing in a time slot outside the first time slot are used to detect the same downlink control information; wherein the third PDCCH candidate detected at the third detection timing is counted as one PDCCH candidate for detection.

[0151] In one possible design, when the communication device 900 is a terminal or a communication module within a terminal, the function of the processing unit 902 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip or a SIP chip containing a modem core. The function of the communication unit 903 can be implemented by transceiver circuitry.

[0152] In one possible design, when the communication device 900 is a circuit or chip in a terminal responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core, the function of the processing unit 902 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processor cores. The function of the communication unit 903 can be implemented by an interface circuit or data transceiver circuit on the aforementioned chip.

[0153] The communication device 900 can also be a network-side device in the above embodiments, such as a network-side access network device, a module (e.g., circuit, chip or chip system) in the access network device, or a logic node, logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device.

[0154] For example, in one embodiment, processing unit 902 is configured to determine, according to a first rule, a first PDCCH candidate and a second PDCCH candidate for repeatedly transmitting the same downlink control information between time slots; communication unit 903 is configured to send the same downlink control information to the terminal from the first PDCCH candidate at a first detection time and the second PDCCH candidate at a second detection time, wherein the first time slot in which the first detection time is located is earlier than the second time slot in which the second detection time is located; wherein the first PDCCH candidate is counted as one PDCCH candidate for detection, and the second PDCCH candidate is counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection.

[0155] For example, in another embodiment, processing unit 902 is used to determine, according to a first rule, a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate and a second PDCCH candidate for repeatedly transmitting the same downlink control information between time slots; communication unit 903 is used to send the same downlink control information to the terminal from the first PDCCH candidate at a first detection time and the second PDCCH candidate at a second detection time, wherein the first time slot in which the first detection time is located is earlier than the second time slot in which the second detection time is located; wherein the first PDCCH candidate is counted as one PDCCH candidate for detection, and the second PDCCH candidate is counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection; the first time slot also includes a third detection time, wherein the third detection time and a fourth detection time in a time slot outside the first time slot are used to detect the same downlink control information; wherein the third PDCCH candidate detected at the third detection time is counted as one PDCCH candidate for detection.

[0156] It is understood that the division of units in the above-described device is merely a logical functional division. One function can correspond to one functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional unit. In actual implementation, all or some units can be integrated onto a single physical entity, or distributed across different physical entities. Furthermore, the aforementioned functional units can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. Whether a function is executed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for specific applications, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0157] In one example, the functional unit in any of the above devices may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as: one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more central processing units (CPUs), one or more microcontroller units (MCUs), one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms.

[0158] In one example, storage unit 901 may include random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory or electrically erasable programmable memory and / or registers, etc.

[0159] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal 1000 provided in an embodiment of this application. The terminal 1000 corresponds to the terminal shown in Figure 1 and is used to implement the operation of the terminal in the above embodiments. As shown in Figure 10, the terminal includes: one or more antennas 1010, a radio frequency processing system 1020, and a processor system 1030.

[0160] In the downlink or sidelink direction, the RF processing system 1020 receives RF signals through the antenna 1010 and sends the RF-processed signals to the processor system 1030 for further processing. In the uplink or sidelink direction, the processor system 1030 processes the terminal-side information and sends it to the RF processing system 1020, which then processes the signal and transmits it through the antenna 1010.

[0161] In one example, the radio frequency (RF) processing system 1020 serves as the communication interface for external communication of the terminal and may include a radio frequency frontend (RFFE) 1021 and an RF transceiver 1022. The RFFE 1021 is primarily used for one or more processing operations, such as shaping, passband selection, or gain adjustment, on the RF signals received by the antenna or those to be transmitted through the antenna. It may include one or more components such as RF switches, duplexers, filters, power amplifiers, antenna tuners, and low-noise amplifiers. The RFFE 1021 can be a circuit system composed of multiple discrete devices or integrated into one or more chips. The RF transceiver 1022 processes the RF signals received by the RFFE into baseband / IF signals for further processing by the processor system 1030, and processes the baseband / IF signals provided by the processor system 1030 into RF signals for transmission to the RFFE 1021. The baseband / IF signals transmitted between the RF transceiver 1022 and the processor system 1030 can be digital or analog signals. The radio frequency transceiver 1022 can be implemented by one or more chips, which are commonly referred to as radio frequency chips (RFICs).

[0162] In one example, processor system 1030 may include one or more processors for processing signals and executing one or more communication protocols. Optionally, processor system 1030 may also include memory 1036. In one example, the one or more processors include at least one baseband processor 1031 (also known as a modem processor). Memory 1036 is used to store data and / or computer program instructions. Optionally, processor system 1030 may also include one or more application processors 1032 for implementing processing of the terminal operating system and application layer. Optionally, processor system 1030 may also include one or more of a voice subsystem 1033, a multimedia subsystem 1034, or an interface circuit 1035. The voice subsystem 1033 is used to process voice signals, the multimedia subsystem 1034 is used to handle multimedia-related operations, such as video encoding / decoding, image processing, etc., and the interface circuit 1035 is used to implement communication with other terminal components, such as a display 1040, an input device 1050, memory 1060, etc. The above-mentioned components in processor system 1030 can communicate with each other via a bus or communication interface circuit.

[0163] In one example, the processor system 1030 can be packaged as a single processor chip, such as a SoC chip or a SIP chip. In another example, the processor system 1030 can be a system composed of multiple chips, for example, the baseband processor 1031 can be packaged as a single chip, or packaged with part or all of the circuitry of the radio frequency processing system into a single chip.

[0164] In one example, memory 1036 can be on-chip memory, i.e., located on the processor system 1030 chip. In another example, memory 1060 can be off-chip memory, i.e. located outside the processor system 1030 chip.

[0165] In one example, the baseband processor 1031 may include one or more processor cores 10311 and interface circuitry 10314. The one or more processor cores 10311 are used to process signals and execute one or more communication protocols. Optionally, the baseband processor 1031 may also include a memory 10312 for storing at least a portion of the corresponding computer program instructions and / or data. In one example, the one or more processor cores 10311 implement the relevant operations in the above method embodiments by executing the computer program instructions stored in the memory 10312. In this disclosure, memory 10312 is used to store corresponding computer program instructions and / or data. This can mean that memory 10312 stores all corresponding computer program instructions and / or data for execution by processor core 10311; or it can mean that memory 10312 stores a portion of corresponding computer program instructions and / or data, including the computer program instructions and / or data currently required to be executed by processor core 10311. Memory 10312 can store different portions of computer program instructions and / or data multiple times for execution by processor core 10311 to implement the relevant operations in the above method embodiments. Interface circuit 10314 serves as a communication interface for communication with other components, such as transmitting signals with radio frequency processing system 1020, communicating with other subsystems and related components of processor system 1030 via bus, such as transmitting data control signals with application processor 1032, and transmitting data or computer program instructions with memory 1036 or memory 1060. Optionally, in order to reduce the load on the processor core, a baseband signal processing circuit 10313 can be set to perform at least some baseband signal processing, including one or more of signal demodulation, modulation, encoding or decoding.

[0166] In one example, the communication device provided in this application may be a terminal 1000, a communication module including a processor system 1030 and a radio frequency system 1020, or a baseband processor 1031.

[0167] The processor, processor system, application processor, baseband processor, processor circuit, or processor core mentioned above can be collectively referred to as a processor. The processor may include one or more of the following: central processing unit (CPU), digital signal processor (DSP), microprocessor unit (MPU), microcontroller unit (MCU), graphics processing unit (GPU), field programmable gate array (FPGA), artificial intelligence processor (AI processor), or neural processing unit (NPU).

[0168] The aforementioned memory may include one or more of the following storage media: random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), phase-change memory (PCM), resistive random access memory (ReRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM), cache, register, read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), hard disk, etc. In one example, computer program instructions for executing the above embodiments may be stored on non-volatile memory, such as at least a portion of the aforementioned memory 1060 (e.g., one or more of ROM, flash memory, EPROM, or hard disk). When the terminal is running, the corresponding computer program instructions may be partially or wholly loaded onto a memory with a faster transfer speed than the processor, such as at least a portion of memory 1036 and / or memory 10312 (e.g., one or more of RAM, SRAM, DRAM, PCM, RERAM, MRAM, FRAM, cache, or register), for the processor to execute in order to implement the steps in the above method embodiments.

[0169] In one example, the RF transceiver 1022 and the RF front-end 1021 can also be packaged in a single chip. In another example, the RF transceiver 1022, the RF front-end 1021, and the baseband processor 1031 can also be packaged in a single chip.

[0170] This application provides a chip (or chip system) including a processor for implementing any of the above-described method embodiments.

[0171] This application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, implement any of the above-described method embodiments.

[0172] This application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed, implement any of the above-described method embodiments.

[0173] This application provides a communication system, including the terminal and access network device described in the above method embodiments.

[0174] The terms "system" and "network" in this application embodiment are used interchangeably. "At least one" refers to one or more, and "multiple" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, "at least one of A, B, or C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC; "at least one of A, B, and C" can also be understood as including A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in this application embodiment are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, sequence, priority, or importance of multiple objects.

[0175] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0176] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to this application. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart illustrations and / or one or more blocks of the block diagrams.

[0177] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0178] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus, provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0179] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to the terminal side, the method includes: Based on the first information and the first rule, a first detection timing for a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate and a second detection timing for a second PDCCH candidate are determined; wherein, the first information is used to indicate the detection timing of the PDCCH candidate, and the first rule is used to determine the first detection timing and the second detection timing of the PDCCH candidate transmitting the same downlink control information; the first PDCCH candidate and the second PDCCH candidate are located in different time slots and are used to transmit the same downlink control information, and the first time slot in which the first detection timing is located is earlier than the second time slot in which the second detection timing is located; The first PDCCH candidate is detected at the first detection time, and / or the second PDCCH candidate is detected at the second detection time; wherein the first PDCCH candidate is counted as one PDCCH candidate for detection, and the second PDCCH candidate is counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first rule is that the 2N-1th detection opportunity and the 2Nth detection opportunity, starting from system frame #0, are used for repeated transmission of PDCCH candidates. The time slot where the 2Nth detection opportunity is located is later than the time slot where the 2N-1th detection opportunity is located, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. Wherein, the first detection timing is the 2m-1th detection timing starting from the system frame #0, the second detection timing is the 2mth detection timing starting from the system frame #0, and the value of m is one of the values ​​of N.

3. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first rule is that when the number M of detection opportunities within the same system frame is odd, the 2N-1th detection opportunity and the 2Nth detection opportunity starting from the system frame are used for repeated transmission of PDCCH candidates, and the last detection opportunity within the system frame is used for independent detection of downlink control information; the time slot where the 2Nth detection opportunity is located is later than the time slot where the 2N-1th detection opportunity is located, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to (M-1) / 2, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 3; Wherein, the first detection timing is the 2m-1th detection timing starting from the system frame, the second detection timing is the 2mth detection timing starting from the system frame, and the value of m is one of the values ​​of N.

4. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first rule is that when the number M of detection opportunities within the same system frame is even, the 2N-1th detection opportunity and the 2Nth detection opportunity starting from the system frame are used for repeated transmission of PDCCH candidates; the time slot where the 2Nth detection opportunity is located is later than the time slot where the 2N-1th detection opportunity is located, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to M / 2, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 2; Wherein, the first detection timing is the 2m-1th detection timing starting from the system frame, the second detection timing is the 2mth detection timing starting from the system frame, and the value of m is one of the values ​​of N.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The first PDCCH candidate is contained in the first public search space CSS, the first detection time is the detection time associated with the first CSS, the second PDCCH candidate is contained in the second CSS, the second detection time is the detection time associated with the second CSS, and the indexes of the first CSS and the second CSS are different.

6. The method as described in claim 5, characterized in that, K s,i =K s,j ,T s,i =T s,j ; O s,j =O s,i +T s,i +A, where A is an integer greater than or equal to 1; K s,i =2*T s,i ; Among them, K s,i For the period of the first CSS, K s,j For the period of the second CSS, T s,i T represents the number of time slots in which PDCCH candidates are continuously detected within the period of the first CSS. s,j For the second CSS, the number of time slots for continuously detecting PDCCH candidates is the same within the period, O s,i O is the time slot offset value within the system frame for the first detection opportunity during the period of the first CSS. s,j This is the time slot offset value within the system frame for the first detection opportunity during the period of the second CSS.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The first time slot also includes a third detection opportunity, which is used to detect the same downlink control information as the fourth detection opportunity in a time slot outside the first time slot; wherein, the third PDCCH candidate detected in the third detection opportunity is counted as a PDCCH candidate for detection.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The second time slot also includes a fifth detection opportunity, which is used to detect the same downlink control information as a sixth detection opportunity in a time slot outside the second time slot; wherein, the fourth PDCCH candidate detected during the fifth detection opportunity is counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The terminal does not expect different counts of PDCCH candidates to be configured on a single time slot.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The first rule is either predefined by the protocol or configured on the network side.

11. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to the access network device side, the method includes: According to the first rule, a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) candidate and a second PDCCH candidate are determined for repeated transmission of the same downlink control information between time slots. The first PDCCH candidate at the first detection time and the second PDCCH candidate at the second detection time send the same downlink control information to the terminal, and the first time slot where the first detection time is located is earlier than the second time slot where the second detection time is located. Wherein, the first PDCCH candidate is counted as one PDCCH candidate for detection, and the second PDCCH candidate is counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection.

12. The method as described in claim 11, characterized in that, The first rule is that the 2N-1th detection opportunity and the 2Nth detection opportunity, starting from system frame #0, are used for repeated transmission of PDCCH candidates. The time slot where the 2Nth detection opportunity is located is later than the time slot where the 2N-1th detection opportunity is located, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. Wherein, the first detection timing is the 2m-1th detection timing starting from the system frame #0, the second detection timing is the 2mth detection timing starting from the system frame #0, and the value of m is one of the values ​​of N.

13. The method as described in claim 11, characterized in that, The first rule is that when the number M of detection opportunities within the same system frame is odd, the 2N-1th detection opportunity and the 2Nth detection opportunity starting from the system frame are used for repeated transmission of PDCCH candidates, and the last detection opportunity within the system frame is used for independent detection of downlink control information; the time slot where the 2Nth detection opportunity is located is later than the time slot where the 2N-1th detection opportunity is located, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to (M-1) / 2, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 3; Wherein, the first detection timing is the 2m-1th detection timing starting from the system frame, the second detection timing is the 2mth detection timing starting from the system frame, and the value of m is one of the values ​​of N.

14. The method as described in claim 11, characterized in that, The first rule is that when the number M of detection opportunities within the same system frame is even, the 2N-1th detection opportunity and the 2Nth detection opportunity starting from the system frame are used for repeated transmission of PDCCH candidates; the time slot where the 2Nth detection opportunity is located is later than the time slot where the 2N-1th detection opportunity is located, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to M / 2, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 2; Wherein, the first detection timing is the 2m-1th detection timing starting from the system frame, the second detection timing is the 2mth detection timing starting from the system frame, and the value of m is one of the values ​​of N.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that, The first PDCCH candidate is contained in the first public search space CSS, the first detection time is the detection time associated with the first CSS, the second PDCCH candidate is contained in the second CSS, the second detection time is the detection time associated with the second CSS, and the indexes of the first CSS and the second CSS are different.

16. The method as described in claim 15, characterized in that, K s,i =K s,j ,T s,i =T s,j ; O s,j =O s,i +T s,i +A, where A is an integer greater than or equal to 1; K s,i =2*T s,i ; Among them, K s,i For the period of the first CSS, K s,j For the period of the second CSS, T s,i T represents the number of time slots in which PDCCH candidates are continuously detected within the period of the first CSS. s,j For the second CSS, the number of time slots for continuously detecting PDCCH candidates is the same within the period, O s,i O is the time slot offset value within the system frame for the first detection opportunity during the period of the first CSS. s,j This is the time slot offset value within the system frame for the first detection opportunity during the period of the second CSS.

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, characterized in that, The first time slot also includes a third detection opportunity, which is used to detect the same downlink control information as the fourth detection opportunity in a time slot outside the first time slot; wherein, the third PDCCH candidate detected in the third detection opportunity is counted as a PDCCH candidate for detection.

18. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, characterized in that, The second time slot also includes a fifth detection opportunity, which is used to detect the same downlink control information as a sixth detection opportunity in a time slot outside the second time slot; wherein, the fourth PDCCH candidate detected during the fifth detection opportunity is counted as two PDCCH candidates for detection.

19. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 18, characterized in that, Also includes: Send first information to the terminal, the first information being used to indicate the detection timing of PDCCH candidates.

20. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 19, characterized in that, The first rule is either predefined by the protocol or configured on the network side.

21. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a processor and an interface circuit, the processor being configured to communicate with other devices via the interface circuit to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 10, or to implement the method of any one of claims 11 to 20.

22. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed, implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 10, or the method of any one of claims 11 to 20.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, which, when executed, implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 10, or the method of any one of claims 11 to 20.

24. A chip, characterized in that, The chip includes a processor for implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 10, or the method of any one of claims 11 to 20.

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