Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a communication method and apparatus. The method executed by a terminal comprises: determining a first data channel carrying first downlink control information (DCI) among a plurality of data channels between the terminal and a network device. In this way, the terminal can determine the first data channel carrying the first DCI among the plurality of data channels between the terminal and the network device, so as to accurately process the plurality of data channels, thereby improving the performance of a communication system.

Description

Communication methods and devices Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] In the new radio (NR) interface, multiple physical downlink shared channels (PDSCH) can be scheduled, or repeated transmission of PDSCH is allowed. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This disclosure provides a communication method and apparatus for supporting a terminal in determining a first data channel carrying a first DCI among multiple data channels between the terminal and a network device, so as to accurately process the multiple data channels and improve the performance of the communication system.

[0004] This disclosure presents a communication method and apparatus.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method is proposed, executed by a terminal, comprising: determining a first data channel carrying first downlink control information (DCI) among a plurality of data channels between the terminal and a network device.

[0006] In the above embodiments, the terminal can determine the first data channel carrying the first DCI among multiple data channels between the terminal and the network device, so as to accurately process multiple data channels and improve the performance of the communication system.

[0007] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, executed by a network device, comprising: sending a first DCI to a terminal via a first data channel among a plurality of data channels between a terminal and the network device, wherein the plurality of data channels are used by the terminal to determine the first data channel.

[0008] In the above embodiments, the network device supports sending a first DCI to the terminal through a first data channel among multiple data channels between the terminal and the network device, so that the terminal can determine the first data channel carrying the first DCI among multiple data channels between the terminal and the network device, so as to accurately process multiple data channels and improve the performance of the communication system.

[0009] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, comprising: a network device sending a first DCI to a terminal through a first data channel among a plurality of data channels between the terminal and the network device, wherein the plurality of data channels are used by the terminal to determine the first data channel; and the terminal determining the first data channel carrying the first DCI among the plurality of data channels between the terminal and the network device.

[0010] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a terminal is provided, comprising: a processing module configured to determine a first data channel carrying first downlink control information (DCI) among a plurality of data channels between the terminal and a network device.

[0011] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a network device is provided, comprising: a transceiver module, configured to transmit a first DCI to a terminal via a first data channel among a plurality of data channels between a terminal and the network device, wherein the plurality of data channels are used by the terminal to determine the first data channel.

[0012] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a terminal is provided, comprising: one or more processors, wherein the terminal is configured to perform the method described in the first aspect.

[0013] According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a network device is provided, comprising: one or more processors, wherein the network device is configured to perform the method described in the second aspect.

[0014] According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided, comprising: one or more processors; and a memory coupled to the processors, the memory storing instructions which, when executed by the processors, cause the communication device to perform the method as described in at least one of the first and second aspects.

[0015] According to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, comprising: a terminal and a network device; the terminal performs the method as described in the first aspect, and the network device performs the method as described in the second aspect embodiment.

[0016] According to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer storage medium is provided, wherein the computer storage medium stores computer-executable instructions; after being executed by a processor, the computer-executable instructions are capable of implementing the method described in at least one aspect of the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0017] According to an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, wherein the computer program product stores a computer program; after being executed by a processor, the computer program is able to implement the method described in at least one aspect of the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0018] Additional aspects and advantages of this disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings required for the description of the embodiments are introduced below. The following drawings are only some embodiments of this disclosure and do not impose specific limitations on the protection scope of this disclosure.

[0020] Figure 1A is an architecture diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0021] Figure 1B is a schematic diagram of a channel switching carrying DCI provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0022] Figure 1C is a schematic diagram of one DCI scheduling multiple PDSCHs provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0023] Figure 1D is a schematic diagram of a DCI scheduling PDSCH repetitive transmission provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0024] Figure 2A is a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0025] Figure 2B is a flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0026] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0027] Figure 4A is a structural diagram of a terminal provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0028] Figure 4B is a structural diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0029] Figure 5A is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0030] Figure 5B is a structural diagram of a chip provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0031] This disclosure presents a communication method and apparatus.

[0032] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure propose a communication method executed by a terminal, comprising: determining a first data channel carrying first downlink control information (DCI) among a plurality of data channels between the terminal and a network device.

[0033] In the above embodiments, the terminal can determine the first data channel carrying the first DCI among multiple data channels between the terminal and the network device, so as to accurately process multiple data channels and improve the performance of the communication system.

[0034] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the above method further includes: the terminal determining a first data channel carrying the first DCI among a plurality of data channels, including: determining the first data channel according to first information agreed upon in the protocol; or determining the first data channel according to first information sent by the network device.

[0035] In the above embodiments, the terminal can determine the first data channel carrying the first DCI among multiple data channels according to the protocol agreement or based on the first information sent by the network device, so as to accurately process multiple data channels and improve the performance of the communication system.

[0036] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information is used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0037] The first data channel is determined based on the time-domain information corresponding to multiple data channels;

[0038] The first data channel is determined based on the frequency domain information corresponding to multiple data channels;

[0039] The first data channel is determined based on the time-domain location corresponding to multiple data channels;

[0040] The first data channel is determined based on the time slot index corresponding to multiple data channels;

[0041] The first data channel is determined based on the cell index corresponding to multiple data channels;

[0042] Each of the multiple data channels is designated as the first data channel.

[0043] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information is also used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0044] The first N data channels are all the first data channels when sorted by time domain location, where N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of multiple data channels;

[0045] In the time domain, the last N data channels are all the first data channels, where N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of multiple data channels.

[0046] The data channel corresponding to the top N cell indices sorted from largest to smallest is the first data channel, where N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of multiple data channels.

[0047] The data channels corresponding to the top N cell indices sorted from smallest to largest are the first data channels, where N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of data channels.

[0048] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information includes at least one bit, each of the at least one bit corresponding to at least one data channel among a plurality of data channels; or the first information includes at least one bit, each of the plurality of values ​​of the at least one bit corresponding to at least one data channel among a plurality of data channels; or the first information includes multiple bits, each of the at least one bit other than redundant bits among the multiple bits corresponding to at least one data channel among a plurality of data channels; or the first information includes at least one bit, each of the at least one value other than redundant values ​​among the multiple values ​​of the at least one bit corresponding to at least one data channel among a plurality of data channels; or the first information includes at least one index information, each of the at least one index information corresponding to at least one data channel among a plurality of data channels.

[0049] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, when each bit corresponds to at least one of a plurality of data channels, when the value of the bit is a first value, it indicates that at least one of the plurality of data channels corresponding to the bit is a first data channel, and / or when the value of the bit is a second value, it indicates that at least one of the plurality of data channels corresponding to the bit is not a first data channel.

[0050] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information is carried in any one of Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, a second DCI, a Media Access Control (MAC) CE, and a third DCI, wherein the second DCI is used to schedule multiple data channels, and the third DCI is used to activate multiple data channels among multiple candidate data channels configured by the RRC signaling sent by the network device.

[0051] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, a terminal receives multiple data channels sent by a network device, including: receiving a second DCI sent by the network device, wherein the second DCI is used to schedule multiple data channels; or receiving RRC signaling sent by the network device, wherein the RRC signaling is used to configure multiple data channels; or receiving a third DCI sent by the network device, wherein the third DCI is used to activate multiple data channels among the multiple candidate data channels configured by the RRC signaling sent by the network device.

[0052] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the data channel is used to carry at least one of the following: data information; control information; demodulation reference information.

[0053] Secondly, embodiments of this disclosure propose a communication method executed by a network device, comprising: sending a first DCI to a terminal through a first data channel among a plurality of data channels between a terminal and the network device, wherein the plurality of data channels are used by the terminal to determine the first data channel.

[0054] In the above embodiments, the network device supports sending a first DCI to the terminal through a first data channel among multiple data channels between the terminal and the network device, so that the terminal can determine the first data channel carrying the first DCI among multiple data channels between the terminal and the network device, so as to accurately process multiple data channels and improve the performance of the communication system.

[0055] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, multiple data channels are used by the terminal to determine the first data channel according to the first information agreed upon in the protocol; or to determine the first data channel according to the first information sent by the network device.

[0056] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first information is used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0057] The first data channel is determined based on the time-domain information corresponding to multiple data channels;

[0058] The first data channel is determined based on the frequency domain information corresponding to multiple data channels;

[0059] The first data channel is determined based on the time-domain location corresponding to multiple data channels;

[0060] The first data channel is determined based on the time slot index corresponding to multiple data channels;

[0061] The first data channel is determined based on the cell index corresponding to multiple data channels;

[0062] Each of the multiple data channels is designated as the first data channel.

[0063] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first information is also used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0064] The first N data channels are all the first data channels when sorted by time domain location, where N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of multiple data channels;

[0065] In the time domain, the last N data channels are all the first data channels, where N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of multiple data channels.

[0066] The data channel corresponding to the top N cell indices sorted from largest to smallest is the first data channel, where N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of multiple data channels.

[0067] The data channels corresponding to the top N cell indices sorted from smallest to largest are the first data channels, where N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of data channels.

[0068] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first information includes at least one bit, each of the at least one bit corresponding to at least one data channel among a plurality of data channels; or the first information includes at least one bit, each of the plurality of values ​​of the at least one bit corresponding to at least one data channel among a plurality of data channels; or the first information includes multiple bits, each of the at least one bit other than redundant bits among the multiple bits corresponding to at least one data channel among a plurality of data channels; or the first information includes at least one bit, each of the at least one value other than redundant values ​​among the multiple values ​​of the at least one bit corresponding to at least one data channel among a plurality of data channels; or the first information includes at least one index information, each of the at least one index information corresponding to at least one data channel among a plurality of data channels.

[0069] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, when each bit corresponds to at least one of a plurality of data channels, when the value of the bit is a first value, it indicates that at least one of the plurality of data channels corresponding to the bit is a first data channel, and / or when the value of the bit is a second value, it indicates that at least one of the plurality of data channels corresponding to the bit is not a first data channel.

[0070] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first information is carried in any one of RRC signaling, a second DCI, MAC CE, and a third DCI, wherein the second DCI is used to schedule multiple data channels, and the third DCI is used to activate multiple data channels among multiple candidate data channels configured by the RRC signaling sent by the network device.

[0071] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the network device sends multiple data channels to the terminal, including: sending a second DCI to the terminal, wherein the second DCI is used to schedule multiple data channels; or sending RRC signaling to the terminal, wherein the RRC signaling is used to configure multiple data channels; or sending a third DCI to the terminal, wherein the third DCI is used to activate multiple data channels among the multiple candidate data channels configured by the RRC signaling sent by the network device.

[0072] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the data channel is used to carry at least one of the following: data information; control information; demodulation reference information.

[0073] Thirdly, embodiments of this disclosure propose a communication method, comprising: a network device sending a first DCI to a terminal through a first data channel among a plurality of data channels between the terminal and the network device, wherein the plurality of data channels are used by the terminal to determine the first data channel; and the terminal determining the first data channel carrying the first DCI among the plurality of data channels between the terminal and the network device.

[0074] Fourthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a terminal, including: a processing module, configured to determine a first data channel carrying first downlink control information (DCI) among multiple data channels between the terminal and a network device.

[0075] Fifthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a network device, including: a transceiver module, configured to transmit a first DCI to a terminal via a first data channel among a plurality of data channels between a terminal and the network device, wherein the plurality of data channels are used by the terminal to determine the first data channel.

[0076] In a sixth aspect, a terminal is proposed, comprising: one or more processors, wherein the terminal is used to execute the method described in the first aspect.

[0077] In a seventh aspect, a network device is proposed, comprising: one or more processors, wherein the network device is configured to perform the method described in the second aspect.

[0078] Eighthly, this disclosure provides a communication device comprising: one or more processors; and a memory coupled to the processors, the memory storing instructions which, when executed by the processors, cause the communication device to perform the method described in at least one of the first and second aspects.

[0079] In a ninth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication system comprising: a terminal and a network device; wherein the terminal is configured to perform the method as described in the first aspect, and the network device is configured to perform the method as described in the second aspect.

[0080] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method as described in at least one of the first and second aspects.

[0081] In one aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a program product that, when executed by a communication device, causes the communication device to perform the method as described in at least one of the first and second aspects.

[0082] In a twelfth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method as described in at least one of the first and second aspects.

[0083] In a thirteenth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a chip or chip system. The chip or chip system includes processing circuitry configured to perform the methods described in at least one of the first and second aspects described above.

[0084] It is understood that the aforementioned communication equipment, communication system, storage medium, program product, etc., are all used to execute the methods proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects they can achieve can be referred to the beneficial effects in the corresponding methods, and will not be repeated here.

[0085] This disclosure provides a communication method and apparatus. In some embodiments, the terms "communication method" and "information processing method" may be used interchangeably.

[0086] This disclosure is not exhaustive, but merely illustrative of some embodiments, and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure. Unless otherwise specified, each step in a particular embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a particular embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily interchanged. Furthermore, the optional implementation methods in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; moreover, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, for example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments. In all embodiments of this disclosure, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referenced. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0087] The terminology used in the embodiments of this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0088] In this embodiment of the disclosure, unless otherwise stated, elements expressed in the singular form, such as "a," "an," "the," "the," "the," "the," "the," "the," "this," etc., can mean "one and only one," or "one or more," "at least one," etc. For example, when using articles such as "a," "an," "the," etc. in translation, the noun following the article can be understood as either a singular expression or a plural expression.

[0089] In the embodiments disclosed herein, "multiple" refers to two or more.

[0090] In some embodiments, the terms “at least one of A or B, at least one of A and B”, “one or more”, “a plurality of”, “multiple”, etc., may be used interchangeably.

[0091] In some embodiments, the notation "at least one of A and B", "A and / or B", "A in one case, B in another", "in response to one case A, in response to another case B", etc., may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execute A regardless of whether there is a branch B); in some embodiments, B (execute B regardless of whether there is a branch A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); in some embodiments, both A and B are executed. The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0092] In some embodiments, the notation "A or B" may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execute A regardless of whether a branch B exists); in some embodiments, B (execute B regardless of whether a branch A exists); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, and C.

[0093] The prefixes "first," "second," etc., used in the embodiments of this disclosure are merely for distinguishing different descriptive objects and do not impose restrictions on the position, order, priority, quantity, or content of the descriptive objects. The description of the descriptive objects is found in the claims or the context of the embodiments, and the use of prefixes should not constitute unnecessary restrictions. For example, if the descriptive object is a "field," the ordinal numbers preceding "field" in "first field" and "second field" do not restrict the position or order of the "fields." "First" and "second" do not restrict whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they restrict the order of "first field" and "second field." Similarly, if the descriptive object is a "level," the ordinal numbers preceding "level" in "first level" and "second level" do not restrict the priority between "levels." Furthermore, the number of descriptive objects is not limited by ordinal numbers and can be one or more. For example, in "first device," the number of "devices" can be one or more. Furthermore, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the object being described is "device", then "first device" and "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different. Similarly, if the object being described is "information", then "first information" and "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their content can be the same or different.

[0094] In some embodiments, “including A,” “containing A,” “for indicating A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0095] In some embodiments, terms such as "time / frequency" and "time-frequency domain" refer to the time domain and / or frequency domain.

[0096] In some embodiments, terms such as “in response to…”, “in response to determining…”, “in the case of…”, “when…”, “when…”, “if…”, etc. can be used interchangeably. These descriptions all refer to the device making a corresponding action under certain objective circumstances. They do not necessarily limit the time, nor do they require the device to make a judgment action when implementing it, nor do they mean that there must be other limitations.

[0097] In some embodiments, the terms “greater than,” “greater than or equal to,” “not less than,” “more than,” “more than or equal to,” “not less than,” “higher than,” “higher than or equal to,” “not lower than,” and “above” can be used interchangeably, as can the terms “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not greater than,” “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not more than,” “lower than,” “lower than or equal to,” “not higher than,” and “below”.

[0098] In some embodiments, devices, etc., may be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to those described in the embodiments. Terms such as “device,” “equipment,” “circuit,” “network element,” “network function,” “network device,” “function,” “node,” “unit,” “section,” “system,” “network,” “chip,” “chip system,” “entity,” and “subject” are interchangeable.

[0099] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in a network (e.g., access network devices, core network devices, etc.).

[0100] In some embodiments, the terms "access network device (AN device)," "radio access network device (RAN device)," "base station (BS)," "radio base station," "fixed station," "node," "access point," "transmission point (TP)," "reception point (RP)," "transmission / reception point (TRP)," "panel," "antenna panel," "antenna array," "cell," "macro cell," "small cell," "femto cell," "pico cell," "sector," "cell group," "serving cell," "carrier," "component carrier," and "bandwidth part (BWP)" can be used interchangeably.

[0101] In some embodiments, the terms "terminal", "terminal device", "user equipment (UE)", "user terminal", "mobile station (MS)", "mobile terminal (MT)", "subscriber station", "mobile unit", "subscriber unit", "wireless unit", "remote unit", "mobile device", "wireless device", "wireless communication device", "remote device", "mobile subscriber station", "access terminal", "mobile terminal", "wireless terminal", "remote terminal", "handset", "user agent", "mobile client", and "client" can be used interchangeably.

[0102] In some embodiments, access network devices, core network devices, or network devices can be replaced by terminals. For example, embodiments of this disclosure can also be applied to structures where communication between access network devices, core network devices, or network devices and terminals is replaced by communication between multiple terminals (e.g., device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), etc.). In this case, the structure can also be configured such that the terminal has all or part of the functions of the access network device. Furthermore, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" can be replaced with terms corresponding to communication between terminals (e.g., "sidelink"). For example, uplink channel, downlink channel, etc., can be replaced with sidelink channel, and uplink link, downlink, etc., can be replaced with sidelink link.

[0103] In some embodiments, the terminal may be replaced by an access network device, a core network device, or a network device. In this case, the access network device, core network device, or network device may also be configured to have all or some of the functions of the terminal.

[0104] In some embodiments, the acquisition of data, information, etc., may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the location is situated.

[0105] In some embodiments, data, information, etc., may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0106] Furthermore, each element, each row, or each column in the table of this disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and any combination of any element, any row, or any column can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0107] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0108] Figure 1A is an architecture diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0109] As shown in Figure 1A, the communication system 100 includes a terminal 101 and a network device 102.

[0110] In some embodiments, terminal 101 includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: mobile phone, wearable device, Internet of Things device, car with communication function, smart car, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, virtual reality (VR) terminal, augmented reality (AR) terminal, wireless terminal in industrial control, wireless terminal in self-driving, wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, wireless terminal in smart grid, wireless terminal in transportation safety, wireless terminal in smart city, and wireless terminal in smart home.

[0111] In some embodiments, network device 102 may include at least one of access network device and core network device.

[0112] In some embodiments, the access network device is, for example, a node or device that connects a terminal to a wireless network. The access network device may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following in a 5G communication system: evolved Node B (eNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), next-generation Node B (gNB), node B (NB), home node B (HNB), home evolved node B (HeNB), radio backhaul device, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), base band unit (BBU), mobile switching center, base station in a 6G communication system, open RAN, cloud RAN, base station in other communication systems, and access node in a Wi-Fi system.

[0113] In some embodiments, the access network device may be a satellite.

[0114] In some embodiments, the core network equipment may be a single device, multiple devices, or a group of devices, including all or part of a first network element, a second network element, a third network element, a fourth network element, etc. Network elements may be virtual or physical. The core network may include, for example, at least one of an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), a 5G Core Network (5GCN), and a Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0115] It is understood that the communication system described in this disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0116] The following embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG1A, or to some of the main bodies, but are not limited thereto. The main bodies shown in FIG1A are illustrative. The communication system may include all or some of the main bodies in FIG1A, or it may include other main bodies outside of FIG1A. The number and form of each main body are arbitrary. Each main body may be physical or virtual. The connection relationship between the main bodies is illustrative. The main bodies may not be connected or may be connected. The connection may be in any way, such as direct connection or indirect connection, wired connection or wireless connection.

[0117] The embodiments disclosed herein can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), Super 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th Generation Mobile Communication System (4G), 5th Generation Mobile Communication System (5G), 5G New Radio (NR), Future Radio Access (FRA), New-Radio Access Technology (RAT), New Radio (NR), New Radio Access (NX), Future Generation Radio Access (FX), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, and Ultra-Wideband. The technologies used include UWB (Ultra-Wideband), Bluetooth (a registered trademark), public land mobile network (PLMN) networks, device-to-device (D2D) systems, machine-to-machine (M2M) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) systems, systems utilizing other communication methods, and next-generation systems built upon them. Furthermore, multiple systems can be combined (e.g., a combination of LTE or LTE-A with 5G).

[0118] In some embodiments of NR, to improve link performance of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) through beamforming, optimize PDCCH reference signal design, simplify base station scheduling, and save power consumption for both the base station and the terminal, NR employs UE-specific PDCCH resources. This concentrates the PDCCH monitoring range of a terminal from the system bandwidth into a single "control subband," namely the control resource set (CORESET).

[0119] In some embodiments, NR introduces mini-slots and flexible channel structures to achieve low latency. The PDCCH, as in Long Term Evolution (LTE) PDCCH, which can only be transmitted in the first few symbols of a subframe, cannot meet the requirements of Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) and Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services. Furthermore, LTE terminals need to monitor the PDCCH in every downlink subframe, resulting in high terminal power consumption. Therefore, NR PDCCH requires a time-domain flexible PDCCH to match the flexibility of the data channel, thereby achieving on-demand transmission. This flexibility is ultimately reflected in the design of the PDCCH Search Space Set.

[0120] In some embodiments, the NR carrier bandwidth can reach over 100MHz. Time-division multiplexing (TDM) alone cannot effectively multiplex PDCCH and PDSCH, resulting in a significant waste of frequency domain resources on both sides of the PDCCH. Therefore, 5G NR systems support frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) of PDCCH and PDSCH. From a terminal's perspective, its PDCCH is confined to the control subband, while it can simultaneously receive PDSCH outside the control subband. The base station's ORESET configuration implements this scheduling. Multiplexing between the PDCCH of other terminals and the PDSCH of this terminal is more complex, requiring information on PDCCH resources occupied by other terminals and further resolution through rate matching, etc.

[0121] In some embodiments, a single downlink control information (DCI) can be used to schedule multiple PDSCHs. For example, the number of repetitions (repk) can be configured in the time domain to support repeated transmissions of PDSCHs. Furthermore, DCIs 1-3 can support multiple PDSCHs, with each PDSCH residing in a single cell.

[0122] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG1B, the DCI originally carried by the PDCCH is carried on the data channel (e.g., PDSCH). Specifically, the PDSCH can be a PDSCH scheduled by the DCI or a PDSCH with semi-persistent scheduling (SPS). In this process, the terminal can skip the blind detection of the PDCCH and directly detect the DCI carried on the PDSCH according to the instructions of the DCI or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0123] In some embodiments, DCI is the basis for ensuring the reliability of PDSCH scheduling. The main factor determining whether PDSCH can effectively carry DCI is whether it can meet the reliability requirements of DCI transmission. PDSCH can meet the reliability requirements, but at the cost of lower spectral efficiency. Retransmissions can also help PDSCH meet the reliability requirements of PDCCH. Therefore, PDSCH can carry DCI.

[0124] In this embodiment, the DCI carried by the PDSCH does not require blind detection by the terminal, fundamentally reducing the number of blind detections. Furthermore, on the network device side, the configuration can be simplified to carry only traditional DCI in the PDCCH, thereby reducing the blocking probability of traditional DCI and improving system throughput. Compared to NR PDCCH, PDSCH can be configured with more time and frequency resources and can carry a larger DCI payload, meaning that DCI can support more diverse functions.

[0125] In this embodiment of the disclosure, as shown in Figure 1C, the NR supports DCI 1-3, which can schedule multiple PDSCHs in different cells. Combining this with PDSCHs carrying DCIs can reduce the blocking rate and decrease the number of DCIs in the PDCCH. If the blocking rate is kept stable, fewer candidate resources are needed, thereby reducing blind detection. Therefore, in a scheme that schedules multiple PDSCHs with DCI 1-3, should the PDSCH carry a DCI? One possible implementation is to use explicit or implicit indicators to determine whether the PDSCH carries a DCI. If a single scheduling supports multiple PDSCHs carrying DCIs, how to accurately identify which PDSCH carries a DCI is a problem that needs to be solved.

[0126] In this embodiment of the disclosure, as shown in Figure 1D, the NR protocol allows repeated transmission of PDSCH, primarily configured by the PDSCH aggregation factor. Repetition can be selected as 2, 4, or 8 times. Whether the repeatedly transmitted PDSCH can carry DCI is a crucial question. Since PDSCH is less reliable than PDCCH, repeated transmission of PDSCH carrying DCI helps improve the reliability of DCI transmission. If the PDSCH supporting repeated transmission carries DCI, accurately identifying which PDSCH carries DCI is a problem that urgently needs to be solved.

[0127] Based on this, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication method and apparatus, wherein the method executed by a terminal includes: determining a first data channel carrying first downlink control information (DCI) among multiple data channels between the terminal and a network device. Thus, the terminal can determine the first data channel carrying the first DCI among multiple data channels between the terminal and the network device, thereby accurately processing the multiple data channels and improving the performance of the communication system.

[0128] Figure 2A is an interactive schematic diagram illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2A, the embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method, which includes:

[0129] S201A, the network device sends the first DCI to the terminal through the first data channel among multiple data channels between the terminal and the network device.

[0130] In some embodiments, the terminal receives multiple data channels sent by the network device, but is not limited thereto. The terminal may also receive multiple data channels sent by other entities other than the network device, in which case S201A can be omitted.

[0131] In some embodiments, the terminal acquires multiple data channels defined by the protocol, in which case S201A can be omitted.

[0132] In some embodiments, the terminal obtains multiple data channels from the upper layer(s), in which case S201A can be omitted.

[0133] In some embodiments, the terminal processes data to obtain multiple data channels, in which case S201A can be omitted.

[0134] In some embodiments, the terminal autonomously implements the functions indicated by multiple data channels, or the above functions are default or default, in which case S201A can be omitted.

[0135] In some embodiments, the network device determines the data channel to be sent to the terminal on its own or based on a protocol agreement, or determines the data channel to be sent to the terminal based on an indication message sent by the terminal.

[0136] For example, a network device sends a data channel to a terminal when it receives valid PDCCH scheduling information, has downlink data transmission requirements, has good channel conditions, supports multiple multiple input multiple output (MIMO) modes, uses beamforming technology, and performs periodic or aperiodic resource allocation.

[0137] For example, when a network device detects interference or resource conflicts in the transmission of a data channel, it determines to send a data channel to a terminal.

[0138] For example, a network device determines to send a data channel to a terminal when it detects a degraded downlink quality.

[0139] For example, the network device receives and successfully decodes the random access preamble sent by the terminal, and then sends multiple data channels to the terminal.

[0140] In some embodiments, the multiple data channels include data channels dynamically scheduled by control information, semi-statically configured data channels, and semi-statically pre-configured and dynamically activated data channels.

[0141] In some embodiments, the network device sends a first DCI to the terminal through a first data channel among a plurality of data channels between the terminal and the network device, wherein the plurality of data channels are used by the terminal to determine the first data channel.

[0142] In some embodiments, some or all of the multiple data channels carry the first DCI.

[0143] For example, the plurality of data channels include: data channel #1, data channel #2, and data channel #3, wherein, among the plurality of data channels, data channel #3 carries the first DCI; or data channel #1 and data channel #2 carry the first DCI.

[0144] In some embodiments, some or all of the multiple data channels carry scheduling (after PDSCH) PDSCH transmission and provide control information such as necessary resource allocation, hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback, and transmission mode selection.

[0145] For example, the network device sends multiple PDSCHs to the terminal, all of which carry the first DCI, or at least one of the multiple PDSCHs carries the first DCI.

[0146] In some embodiments, the first DCI is a DCI carried in the PDCCH in related technologies.

[0147] In some embodiments, the first DCI is used to schedule PDSCH transmissions (located after PDSCH) and provide necessary information such as resource allocation, hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback, and transmission mode selection.

[0148] In some embodiments, the first N data channels with the earliest time-domain position among the multiple data channels carry the first DCI, where N is a positive integer and less than the number of data channels among the multiple data channels.

[0149] For example, the multiple data channels include: data channel #1, data channel #2, and data channel #3, wherein, in the time domain, data channel #3 is first, data channel #1 is second, and data channel #2 is last. Among the multiple data channels, data channel #3 carries the first DCI.

[0150] In some embodiments, the last N data channels in the time domain of the plurality of data channels carry the first DCI, where N is a positive integer and less than the number of data channels in the plurality of data channels.

[0151] For example, the multiple data channels include: data channel #1, data channel #2, and data channel #3, wherein, in the time domain, data channel #3 is ranked first, data channel #1 is ranked second, and data channel #2 is ranked last. Among the multiple data channels, data channel #2 carries the first DCI.

[0152] In some embodiments, the data channels corresponding to the top N cell indices with the largest cell indices of the multiple data channels carry the first DCI, where N is a positive integer and less than the number of data channels of the multiple data channels.

[0153] For example, the multiple data channels include: data channel #1, data channel #2, and data channel #3, wherein the cell index corresponding to data channel #1 is 2, the cell index corresponding to data channel #2 is 1, and the cell index corresponding to data channel #3 is 3. Among the multiple data channels, data channel #3 carries the first DCI.

[0154] In some embodiments, the data channels corresponding to the N cell indices with the smallest cell indices of the multiple data channels carry the first DCI, where N is a positive integer and less than the number of data channels of the multiple data channels.

[0155] For example, the multiple data channels include: data channel #1, data channel #2, and data channel #3, wherein the cell index corresponding to data channel #1 is 2, the cell index corresponding to data channel #2 is 1, and the cell index corresponding to data channel #3 is 3. Among the multiple data channels, data channel #2 carries the first DCI.

[0156] In some embodiments, the network device sends multiple data channels to the terminal, including: sending a second DCI to the terminal, wherein the second DCI is used to schedule multiple data channels; or sending RRC signaling to the terminal, wherein the RRC signaling is used to configure multiple data channels; or sending a third DCI to the terminal, wherein the third DCI is used to activate multiple data channels among the multiple candidate data channels configured by the RRC signaling sent by the network device.

[0157] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the network device sends a second DCI to the terminal, the second DCI being used to schedule multiple data channels.

[0158] For example, the network device sends a second DCI to the terminal, which is used to schedule multiple PDSCHs.

[0159] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the network device sends RRC signaling to the terminal, and the RRC signaling is used to configure multiple data channels.

[0160] For example, the network device sends RRC signaling to the terminal, which is used to configure multiple SPS PDSCHs within a period.

[0161] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the network device sends RRC signaling and a third DCI to the terminal. The RRC signaling is used to configure multiple candidate data channels, and the third DCI is used to activate multiple data channels among the multiple candidate data channels configured by the RRC signaling.

[0162] For example, the network device sends RRC signaling and a third DCI to the terminal. The RRC signaling is used to configure multiple candidate SPS PDSCHs, and the third DCI is used to activate multiple SPS PDSCHs among the multiple candidate SPS PDSCHs.

[0163] In some embodiments, the data channel is used to carry at least one of the following: data information; control information; demodulation reference information.

[0164] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the network device sends multiple data channels to the terminal, wherein the multiple data channels are used to carry at least one of data information, control information, and demodulation reference information.

[0165] In some embodiments, the data channel sent from the network device to the terminal is PDSCH.

[0166] S202A, the network device sends the first information to the terminal.

[0167] S201A and S202A can be executed in interchangeable order or simultaneously.

[0168] In some embodiments, the terminal receives first information sent by a network device, but is not limited thereto. The terminal may also receive first information sent by other entities other than the network device, in which case S202A may be omitted.

[0169] In some embodiments, the terminal obtains the first information specified by the protocol, in which case S202A can be omitted.

[0170] In some embodiments, the terminal obtains the first information from the upper layer(s), in which case S202A can be omitted.

[0171] In some embodiments, the terminal processes the information to obtain the first information, in which case S202A can be omitted.

[0172] In some embodiments, the terminal autonomously implements the function indicated by the first information, or the above function is a default or default setting, in which case S202A can be omitted.

[0173] In some embodiments, the network device determines on its own or based on a protocol agreement to send the first information to the terminal, or sends the first information to the terminal based on a request from the terminal.

[0174] For example, when the network device determines on its own or based on a protocol agreement that the terminal needs to determine the first data channel carrying the first DCI from multiple data channels, it sends the first information to the terminal.

[0175] For example, when a network device receives a request message sent by a terminal, the request message is used to request the network device to instruct the terminal on the method of determining the first data channel carrying the first DCI from a plurality of data channels sent by the network device, and then sends the first information to the terminal.

[0176] In some embodiments, the first information is used to instruct the terminal to determine information of a first data channel carrying the first DCI from a plurality of data channels sent by the network device. Optionally, the terminal, upon receiving the first information sent by the network device, can determine the first data channel carrying the first DCI from a plurality of data channels sent by the network device.

[0177] In some embodiments, the first information is used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0178] The first data channel is determined based on the time-domain information corresponding to multiple data channels;

[0179] The first data channel is determined based on the frequency domain information corresponding to multiple data channels;

[0180] The first data channel is determined based on the time-domain location corresponding to multiple data channels;

[0181] The first data channel is determined based on the time slot index corresponding to multiple data channels;

[0182] The first data channel is determined based on the cell index corresponding to multiple data channels;

[0183] Each of the multiple data channels is designated as the first data channel.

[0184] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the network device sends first information to the terminal. The first information is used to indicate the determination of a first data channel based on the time domain information corresponding to multiple data channels. Thus, the terminal can determine the first data channel based on the first information and the time domain information corresponding to multiple data channels.

[0185] In some embodiments, the time-domain information includes at least one of the following: the size of the occupied time-domain position, the starting time-domain position of the occupied time-domain position, and the ending time-domain position of the occupied time-domain position.

[0186] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the network device sends first information to the terminal. The first information is used to indicate the determination of a first data channel based on the frequency domain information corresponding to multiple data channels. Thus, the terminal can determine the first data channel based on the first information and the frequency domain information corresponding to multiple data channels.

[0187] In some embodiments, the frequency domain information includes at least one of the following: the size of the occupied frequency domain position, the starting frequency domain position of the occupied frequency domain position, and the ending frequency domain position of the occupied frequency domain position.

[0188] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the network device sends first information to the terminal. The first information is used to indicate the determination of a first data channel based on the time domain position corresponding to multiple data channels. Thus, the terminal can determine the first data channel based on the first information and the time domain position corresponding to multiple data channels.

[0189] In some embodiments, the time-domain location includes at least one of a start time-domain location and an end time-domain location.

[0190] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the network device sends first information to the terminal. The first information is used to indicate the determination of a first data channel based on the time slot index corresponding to multiple data channels. Thus, the terminal can determine the first data channel based on the first information and the time slot index corresponding to multiple data channels.

[0191] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the network device sends first information to the terminal. The first information is used to indicate the determination of a first data channel based on the cell index corresponding to multiple data channels. Thus, the terminal can determine the first data channel based on the first information and the cell index corresponding to multiple data channels.

[0192] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the network device sends first information to the terminal. The first information is used to indicate that each of the multiple data channels is a first data channel. Thus, the terminal can determine that each of the multiple data channels sent by the network device is a first data channel based on the first information.

[0193] In some embodiments, the first information is also used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0194] The first N data channels are all the first data channels when sorted by time domain location, where N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of multiple data channels;

[0195] In the time domain, the last N data channels are all the first data channels, where N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of multiple data channels.

[0196] The data channel corresponding to the top N cell indices sorted from largest to smallest is the first data channel, where N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of multiple data channels.

[0197] The data channels corresponding to the top N cell indices sorted from smallest to largest are the first data channels, where N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of data channels.

[0198] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the network device sends first information to the terminal. The first information is used to indicate that the top N data channels in the time domain are all first data channels, where N is a positive integer and less than or equal to the number of data channels. Thus, the terminal can determine the top N data channels in the time domain as first data channels based on the time domain positions corresponding to the multiple data channels according to the first information.

[0199] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the network device sends first information to the terminal. The first information is used to indicate that the last N data channels in the time domain are all first data channels. N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of data channels. Thus, the terminal can determine the last N data channels in the time domain as first data channels based on the time domain positions corresponding to the multiple data channels according to the first information.

[0200] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the network device sends first information to the terminal. The first information is used to indicate that the data channels corresponding to the top N cell indices sorted from largest to smallest are the first data channels. N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of data channels of the multiple data channels. Thus, the terminal can determine the data channels corresponding to the top N cell indices sorted from largest to smallest as the first data channels based on the first information and the cell indices corresponding to the multiple data channels.

[0201] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the network device sends first information to the terminal. The first information is used to indicate that the data channels corresponding to the top N cell indices sorted from smallest to largest are the first data channels. N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of data channels of the multiple data channels. Thus, the terminal can determine the top N data channels sorted from smallest to largest as the first data channels based on the cell indices corresponding to the multiple data channels according to the first information.

[0202] In some embodiments, the first information includes at least one bit, each of the at least one bit corresponding to at least one data channel among a plurality of data channels; or the first information includes at least one bit, each of the plurality of values ​​of the at least one bit corresponding to at least one data channel among a plurality of data channels; or the first information includes a plurality of bits, each of the at least one bit other than redundant bits corresponding to at least one data channel among a plurality of data channels; or the first information includes at least one bit, each of the at least one value other than redundant values ​​of the at least one bit corresponding to at least one data channel among a plurality of data channels; or the first information includes at least one index information, each of the at least one index information corresponding to at least one data channel among a plurality of data channels.

[0203] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the network device sends first information to the terminal. The first information includes at least one bit, and each bit in the at least one bit corresponds to at least one data channel in a plurality of data channels.

[0204] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the network device sends first information to the terminal. The first information includes multiple bits, and each bit, excluding redundant bits, corresponds to at least one data channel among multiple data channels.

[0205] In some embodiments, each bit corresponds to one data channel; or some bits correspond to one data channel, and other bits correspond to multiple data channels; or each bit corresponds to multiple data channels.

[0206] For example, the network device sends three data channels to the terminal. The first information includes two bits, where one bit corresponds to one data channel and the other bit corresponds to the other two data channels.

[0207] For example, the network device sends three data channels to the terminal. The first information includes three bits, each corresponding to one of the three data channels.

[0208] For example, the network device sends two data channels to the terminal. The first information includes three bits, two of which correspond to the two data channels respectively, and one bit is a redundant bit.

[0209] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the network device sends first information to the terminal. The first information includes at least one bit, and each value of the at least one bit corresponds to at least one data channel.

[0210] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the network device sends first information to the terminal. The first information includes at least one bit, and each value of the at least one bit, excluding redundant values, corresponds to at least one data channel.

[0211] In some embodiments, each value of at least one bit corresponds to one data channel; or some values ​​of at least one bit correspond to one data channel, and other values ​​correspond to multiple data channels; or each value of at least one bit corresponds to multiple data channels.

[0212] For example, the network device sends two data channels to the terminal. The first information includes one bit, which has two values, "1" and "0". The value of "1" corresponds to one data channel, and the value of "0" corresponds to the other data channel.

[0213] For example, the network device sends three data channels to the terminal. The first information includes one bit, which has two values, "1" and "0". The value of "1" corresponds to one data channel, and the value of "0" corresponds to the other two data channels.

[0214] For example, the network device sends three data channels to the terminal. The first information includes two bits, which have four values: "00", "01", "10", and "11". The values ​​"01", "10", and "11" correspond to the three data channels respectively, and the value "00" is a redundant value.

[0215] In some embodiments, when each bit corresponds to at least one of a plurality of data channels, a first value indicates that at least one of the plurality of data channels corresponding to the bit is a first data channel, and / or a second value indicates that at least one of the plurality of data channels corresponding to the bit is not a first data channel.

[0216] For example, the network device sends multiple data channels to the terminal, including: data channel #1, data channel #2, data channel #3, and data channel #4. The network device sends first information to the terminal, which includes four bits: bit #1, bit #2, bit #3, and bit #4. Bit #1 corresponds to data channel #1, bit #2 corresponds to data channel #2, bit #3 corresponds to data channel #3, and bit #4 corresponds to data channel #4.

[0217] In one possible implementation, the first information includes four bits. When bit #1 is "1", it indicates that data channel #1 is the first data channel. When bit #2 is "1", it indicates that data channel #2 is the first data channel. When bit #3 is "0", it indicates that data channel #3 is not the first data channel. When bit #4 is "0", it indicates that data channel #4 is not the first data channel.

[0218] In another possible implementation, the first information includes four bits. When bit #1 is "0", it indicates that data channel #1 is the first data channel. When bit #2 is "0", it indicates that data channel #2 is the first data channel. When bit #3 is "1", it indicates that data channel #3 is not the first data channel. When bit #4 is "1", it indicates that data channel #4 is not the first data channel.

[0219] For example, the network device sends multiple data channels to the terminal, including: data channel #1, data channel #2, data channel #3, and data channel #4. The network device sends first information to the terminal, which includes 2 bits. The values ​​of the 2 bits include: "00", "01", "10", and "11". Among them, "01" indicates that data channel #1 is the first data channel, "10" indicates that data channel #1 and data channel #2 are the first data channels, "11" indicates that data channel #2 and data channel #3 are the first data channels, and "00" indicates that data channel #4 is the first data channel.

[0220] In one possible implementation, the first information includes two bits, with a value of "10", indicating that data channel #1 and data channel #2 are the first data channels.

[0221] In another possible implementation, the first information includes two bits, which, when set to "00", indicate that data channel #4 is the first data channel.

[0222] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the network device sends first information to the terminal. The first information includes at least one index information, and each index information corresponds to at least one data channel.

[0223] For example, the network device sends multiple data channels to the terminal, including: data channel #1 with index information 1, data channel #2 with index information 2, data channel #3 with index information 3, and data channel #4 with index information 4. The network device sends first information to the terminal, the first information including 1 and 2, then the first information indicates that data channel #1 and data channel #2 are the first data channels.

[0224] In some embodiments, the first information is carried in any one of RRC signaling, a second DCI, a medium access control element (MAC CE), and a third DCI. The second DCI is used to schedule multiple data channels, and the third DCI is used to activate multiple data channels among multiple candidate data channels configured by the RRC signaling sent by the network device.

[0225] In some embodiments, the network device sends RRC signaling to the terminal. The RRC signaling is used to configure multiple data channels, and the RRC signaling also includes first information.

[0226] In some embodiments, the network device sends a second DCI to the terminal. The second DCI is used to schedule multiple data channels, and the second DCI also includes first information.

[0227] In some embodiments, the network device sends a MAC CE to the terminal, the MAC CE including first information.

[0228] In some embodiments, the network device sends RRC signaling and a third DCI to the terminal. The RRC signaling is used to configure multiple candidate data channels, and the third DCI is used to activate multiple data channels among the multiple candidate data channels configured by the RRC signaling. The third DCI also includes first information.

[0229] S203A, the terminal determines the first data channel carrying the first DCI among multiple data channels.

[0230] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal receives multiple data channels sent by the network device and determines the first data channel carrying the first DCI among the multiple data channels based on the protocol agreement. In this case, S202A can be omitted.

[0231] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal receives multiple data channels sent by the network device and receives first information sent by the network device, and determines the first data channel carrying the first DCI among the multiple data channels based on the first information.

[0232] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, when a terminal receives multiple data channels sent by a network device, it can determine the first data channel carrying the first DCI among the multiple data channels. Thus, the terminal can accurately process the multiple data channels and improve the performance of the communication system.

[0233] In some embodiments, the names of information, etc., are not limited to the names described in the embodiments. Terms such as "information", "message", "signal", "signaling", "report", "configuration", "indication", "instruction", "command", "channel", "parameter", "domain", "field", "symbol", "symbol", "codebook", "codeword", "codepoint", "bit", "data", "program", and "chip" can be used interchangeably.

[0234] In some embodiments, the terms "uplink", "uplink", and "physical uplink" can be used interchangeably, as can the terms "downlink", "downlink", and "physical downlink", as well as the terms "sidelink", "sidelink", "sidelink communication", "sidelink communication", "direct connection", "direct link", "direct communication", and "direct link communication".

[0235] In some embodiments, the terms “downlink control information (DCI),” “downlink (DL) assignment,” “DL DCI,” “uplink (UL) grant,” and “UL DCI” can be used interchangeably.

[0236] In some embodiments, terms such as "physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)" and "DL data" can be used interchangeably, as can terms such as "physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)" and "UL data".

[0237] In some embodiments, the terms "search space", "search space set", "search space configuration", "search space set configuration", "control resource set (CORESET)", and "CORESET configuration" can be used interchangeably.

[0238] In some embodiments, terms such as “moment,” “point in time,” “time,” and “time location” can be used interchangeably, as can terms such as “duration,” “segment,” “time window,” “window,” and “time.”

[0239] In some embodiments, the terms "component carrier (CC)," "cell," "frequency carrier," and "carrier frequency" can be used interchangeably.

[0240] In some embodiments, the terms “frame”, “radio frame”, “subframe”, “slot”, “sub-slot”, “mini-slot”, “symbol”, “symbol”, and “transmission time interval (TTI)” can be used interchangeably.

[0241] In some embodiments, "acquire," "get," "obtain," "receive," "transmit," "bidirectional transmission," and "send and / or receive" can be used interchangeably and can be interpreted as receiving from other entities, acquiring from protocols, acquiring from higher layers, obtaining through self-processing, or autonomous implementation. Protocols include, for example, at least one of the 3GPP protocol, Wi-Fi protocol, and audio and / or video protocols.

[0242] In some embodiments, terms such as “send,” “transmit,” “report,” “distribute,” “transfer,” “bidirectional transmission,” “send and / or receive” can be used interchangeably.

[0243] In some embodiments, terms such as "certain," "preset," "default," "set," "indicated," "a certain," "any," and "first" can be used interchangeably. "Certain A," "preset A," "default A," "set A," "indicated A," "a certain A," "any A," and "first A" can be interpreted as A pre-defined in a protocol or the like, or as A obtained through setting, configuration, or instruction, or as specific A, a certain A, any A, or first A, but are not limited thereto.

[0244] In some embodiments, the determination or judgment can be made by a value represented by 1 bit (0 or 1), or by a true or false value (boolean), or by a comparison of numerical values ​​(e.g., a comparison with a predetermined value), but is not limited thereto.

[0245] The communication method involved in the embodiments of this disclosure may include at least one of S201A to S203A. For example, S201A may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, S202A may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, S203A may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, and S201A+S203A may be implemented as standalone embodiments, but is not limited thereto.

[0246] In some embodiments, S201A and S202A may be executed in an interchangeable order or simultaneously.

[0247] In some embodiments, S202A is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or substituted in different embodiments.

[0248] In some embodiments, the steps and their optional implementations in other embodiments described before or after this embodiment, as well as other related parts in the specification, can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0249] Figure 2B is an interactive schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2B, the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which includes:

[0250] S201B, the network device sends the first DCI to the terminal through the first data channel among multiple data channels between the terminal and the network device.

[0251] The optional implementations of S201B can be found in the optional implementations of S201A in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0252] S202B, the terminal determines the first information agreed upon in the protocol.

[0253] S201B and S202B can be executed in interchangeable order or simultaneously.

[0254] In some embodiments, the first information is used to instruct the terminal to determine information about the first data channel carrying the first DCI from a plurality of data channels sent by the network device. Optionally, the terminal determines the first information as agreed in the protocol, which may be used to determine the first data channel carrying the first DCI from a plurality of data channels sent by the network device.

[0255] In some embodiments, the first information is used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0256] The first data channel is determined based on the time-domain information corresponding to multiple data channels;

[0257] The first data channel is determined based on the frequency domain information corresponding to multiple data channels;

[0258] The first data channel is determined based on the time-domain location corresponding to multiple data channels;

[0259] The first data channel is determined based on the time slot index corresponding to multiple data channels;

[0260] The first data channel is determined based on the cell index corresponding to multiple data channels;

[0261] Each of the multiple data channels is designated as the first data channel.

[0262] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal determines the first information agreed upon in the protocol. The first information is used to indicate the determination of the first data channel based on the time domain information corresponding to multiple data channels. Thus, the terminal can determine the first data channel based on the first information and the time domain information corresponding to multiple data channels.

[0263] In some embodiments, the time-domain information includes at least one of the following: the size of the occupied time-domain position, the starting time-domain position of the occupied time-domain position, and the ending time-domain position of the occupied time-domain position.

[0264] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal determines the first information agreed upon in the protocol. The first information is used to indicate the determination of the first data channel based on the frequency domain information corresponding to multiple data channels. Thus, the terminal can determine the first data channel based on the first information and the frequency domain information corresponding to multiple data channels.

[0265] In some embodiments, the frequency domain information includes at least one of the following: the size of the occupied frequency domain position, the starting frequency domain position of the occupied frequency domain position, and the ending frequency domain position of the occupied frequency domain position.

[0266] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal determines the first information agreed upon in the protocol. The first information is used to indicate the determination of the first data channel based on the time domain position corresponding to multiple data channels. Thus, the terminal can determine the first data channel based on the first information and the time domain position corresponding to multiple data channels.

[0267] In some embodiments, the time-domain location includes at least one of a start time-domain location and an end time-domain location.

[0268] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal determines the first information agreed upon in the protocol. The first information is used to indicate the determination of the first data channel based on the time slot index corresponding to multiple data channels. Thus, the terminal can determine the first data channel based on the first information and the time slot index corresponding to multiple data channels.

[0269] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal determines the first information agreed upon in the protocol. The first information is used to indicate the determination of the first data channel based on the cell index corresponding to multiple data channels. Thus, the terminal can determine the first data channel based on the first information and the cell index corresponding to multiple data channels.

[0270] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal determines the first information agreed upon in the protocol. The first information is used to indicate that each of the multiple data channels is the first data channel. Thus, the terminal can determine that each of the multiple data channels sent by the network device is the first data channel based on the first information.

[0271] In some embodiments, the first information is also used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0272] The first N data channels are all the first data channels when sorted by time domain location, where N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of multiple data channels;

[0273] In the time domain, the last N data channels are all the first data channels, where N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of multiple data channels.

[0274] The data channel corresponding to the top N cell indices sorted from largest to smallest is the first data channel, where N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of multiple data channels.

[0275] The data channels corresponding to the top N cell indices sorted from smallest to largest are the first data channels, where N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of data channels.

[0276] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the terminal determines the first information agreed upon in the protocol. The first information is used to indicate that the first N data channels sorted in the time domain are all first data channels. N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of data channels of the multiple data channels. Thus, the terminal can determine the first N data channels sorted in the time domain as first data channels based on the time domain positions corresponding to the multiple data channels according to the first information.

[0277] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal determines the first information agreed upon in the protocol. The first information is used to indicate that the last N data channels in the time domain are all first data channels, where N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of data channels. Thus, the terminal can determine the last N data channels in the time domain as first data channels based on the time domain positions corresponding to the multiple data channels, according to the first information.

[0278] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the terminal determines the first information agreed upon in the protocol. The first information is used to indicate that the data channels corresponding to the top N cell indices sorted from largest to smallest are the first data channels. N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of data channels of the multiple data channels. Thus, the terminal can determine the data channels corresponding to the top N cell indices sorted from largest to smallest as the first data channels based on the first information and the cell indices corresponding to the multiple data channels.

[0279] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal determines the first information agreed upon in the protocol. The first information is used to indicate that the data channels corresponding to the top N cell indices sorted from smallest to largest are the first data channels. N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of data channels of the multiple data channels. Thus, the terminal can determine the top N data channels sorted from smallest to largest as the first data channels based on the cell indices corresponding to the multiple data channels according to the first information.

[0280] S203B, the terminal determines the first data channel carrying the first DCI among multiple data channels.

[0281] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal receives multiple data channels sent by the network device, and determines the first data channel carrying the first DCI among the multiple data channels based on the first information agreed upon in the protocol.

[0282] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, when a terminal receives multiple data channels sent by a network device, it can determine the first data channel carrying the first DCI among the multiple data channels. Thus, the terminal can accurately process the multiple data channels and improve the performance of the communication system.

[0283] The communication method involved in the embodiments of this disclosure may include at least one of S201B to S203B. For example, S201B may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, S202B may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, S203B may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, and S201B+S203B may be implemented as standalone embodiments, but is not limited thereto.

[0284] In some embodiments, S201B and S202B can be executed in an interchangeable order or simultaneously.

[0285] In some embodiments, S202B is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or substituted in different embodiments.

[0286] In some embodiments, the steps and their optional implementations in other embodiments described before or after this embodiment, as well as other related parts in the specification, can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0287] Figure 3 is an interactive schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, the embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a communication method, which includes:

[0288] S301, the network device sends the first DCI to the terminal through the first data channel among the multiple data channels between the terminal and the network device.

[0289] The optional implementation of S301 can be found in the optional implementation of S201A in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0290] The optional implementation of S301 can be found in the optional implementation of S201B in Figure 2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0291] S302, the terminal determines the first data channel carrying the first DCI among multiple data channels between the terminal and the network device.

[0292] The optional implementation of S302 can be found in the optional implementation of S203A in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0293] The optional implementation of S302 can be found in the optional implementation of S203B in Figure 2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figure 2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0294] In some embodiments, the terminal determines a first data channel carrying the first DCI among a plurality of data channels, including: determining the first data channel according to first information agreed upon in the protocol; or determining the first data channel according to first information sent by the network device.

[0295] In some embodiments, the first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: determining a first data channel based on time-domain information corresponding to multiple data channels; determining a first data channel based on frequency-domain information corresponding to multiple data channels; determining a first data channel based on time-domain location corresponding to multiple data channels; determining a first data channel based on time slot index corresponding to multiple data channels; determining a first data channel based on cell index corresponding to multiple data channels; and determining that each of the multiple data channels is a first data channel.

[0296] In some embodiments, the first information is further used to indicate at least one of the following: the first N data channels sorted by time domain location are all first data channels, where N is a positive integer and less than or equal to the number of multiple data channels; the last N data channels sorted by time domain location are all first data channels, where N is a positive integer and less than or equal to the number of multiple data channels; the data channels corresponding to the first N cell indices sorted from largest to smallest cell index are first data channels, where N is a positive integer and less than or equal to the number of multiple data channels; the data channels corresponding to the first N cell indices sorted from smallest to largest cell index are first data channels, where N is a positive integer and less than or equal to the number of multiple data channels.

[0297] In some embodiments, the first information includes at least one bit, each of which corresponds to at least one data channel among a plurality of data channels; or the first information includes at least one bit, each of which takes a plurality of values ​​corresponding to at least one data channel among a plurality of data channels; or the first information includes a plurality of bits, each of which, excluding redundant bits, corresponds to at least one data channel among a plurality of data channels; or the first information includes at least one bit, each of which, excluding redundant values, corresponds to at least one data channel among a plurality of data channels; or the first information includes at least one index, each of which corresponds to at least one data channel among a plurality of data channels.

[0298] In some embodiments, when each bit corresponds to at least one of a plurality of data channels, a first value indicates that at least one of the plurality of data channels corresponding to the bit is a first data channel, and / or a second value indicates that at least one of the plurality of data channels corresponding to the bit is not a first data channel.

[0299] In some embodiments, the first information is carried in any one of Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, a second DCI, a Media Access Control (MAC) CE, and a third DCI, wherein the second DCI is used to schedule multiple data channels, and the third DCI is used to activate multiple data channels among multiple candidate data channels configured by the RRC signaling sent by the network device.

[0300] In some embodiments, a terminal receives multiple data channels sent by a network device, including: receiving a second DCI sent by the network device, wherein the second DCI is used to schedule multiple data channels; or receiving RRC signaling sent by the network device, wherein the RRC signaling is used to configure multiple data channels; or receiving a third DCI sent by the network device, wherein the third DCI is used to activate multiple data channels among the multiple candidate data channels configured by the RRC signaling sent by the network device.

[0301] In some embodiments, the data channel is used to carry at least one of the following: data information; control information; demodulation reference information.

[0302] In some embodiments, the steps and their optional implementations in other embodiments described before or after this embodiment, as well as other related parts in the specification, can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0303] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this disclosure, an exemplary embodiment is provided.

[0304] In the exemplary embodiment, based on supporting PDSCH to carry new-DCI, the problem that needs to be solved is how to determine which PDSCH(s) or PDSCH(s) the new-DCI is carried when there are multiple PDSCH(s).

[0305] Option 1: Based on protocol predefinition, this option determines which PDSCH(s) carry the New-DCI through protocol predefinition. For example, in the frequency domain, the top N PDSCH(s) with the largest / smallest cell index carry the New-DCI; in the time domain, the top M PDSCH(s) carry the New-DCI. N and M are positive integers greater than 0, preferably 1.

[0306] Option 2: Based on protocol predefinition, that is, to determine that all scheduled PDSCHs carry New-DCI through protocol predefinition.

[0307] Option 3: Based on network configuration, i.e., indicating which PDSCH(s) or PDSCH(s) carry New-DCI via network signaling. Network signaling includes, but is not limited to, RRC signaling, DCI, and MAC CE.

[0308] Option 4: Based on RRC signaling configuration, switching is performed via DCI. N candidate bearers for the new-DCI are configured via RRC signaling. At least one of the N is selected via DCI indication.

[0309] In a network, New-DCI is mapped to a first data channel, meaning New-DCI is carried by the first data channel. The new-DCI is control information defined by a protocol and can be carried by a data channel. The first data channel refers to a channel capable of carrying data information, including, but not limited to, at least one of the following: a data channel dynamically scheduled via control information (e.g., a PDSCH scheduled via legacy DCI), a semi-statically configured data channel (e.g., an SPS configured via RRC), and a semi-statically pre-configured data channel dynamically activated (e.g., an SPS pre-configured via RRC and activated by legacy DCI). Furthermore, the information carried by the first data channel includes at least one of the following: data information, control information, and demodulation reference information. (Background Summary)

[0310] The network device sends at least two first data channels to the terminal device. The terminal device is scheduled by the network device to receive at least two first data channels.

[0311] Optionally, the network device schedules at least two first data channels via a first DCI. For example, multiple PDSCHs can be scheduled in different cells via DCIs 1-3. Alternatively, if the network device is configured to repeat multiple times (not 1), then multiple PDSCHs can be repeatedly scheduled in the time domain.

[0312] Optionally, the network device configures at least two first data channels via the first RRC signaling. For example, the network device configures multiple SPS PDSCHs within one cycle.

[0313] Optionally, the network device configures at least two first data channels via a second RRC signaling and activates the first data channels via a second DCI / first MAC CE.

[0314] Based on the above, the method for determining the first data channel carrying new-DCI includes at least one of the following:

[0315] Option 1: Based on protocol predefinition, this method determines which one or more first data channels carry New-DCI through protocol predefinition. Specifically, it determines whether the first data channel carries New-DCI based on frequency domain and / or time domain information, including at least one of the following: frequency domain location, time domain location, cell index, and time slot index. For example: in the frequency domain, the first N PDSCHs with the largest / smallest cell index carry New-DCI; in the time domain, the first M PDSCHs carry New-DCI. N and M are positive integers greater than 0, preferably 1.

[0316] In one implementation, the network device schedules at least four PDSCHs via DCI 1-3. The cell index corresponding to the first PDSCH is 0, the cell index corresponding to the second PDSCH is 1, the cell index corresponding to the third PDSCH is 2, and the cell index corresponding to the fourth PDSCH is 3. The protocol predefines that the cell index with the smallest value carries the new-DCI. Therefore, the first PDSCH carries the new-DCI.

[0317] In one implementation, the network device schedules at least four PDSCHs via DCI 1-3. The cell index corresponding to the first PDSCH is 0, the cell index corresponding to the second PDSCH is 1, the cell index corresponding to the third PDSCH is 2, and the cell index corresponding to the fourth PDSCH is 3. The protocol predefines that the cell index with the highest value carries the new-DCI. Therefore, the fourth PDSCH carries the new-DCI.

[0318] In one implementation, the network device schedules at least four PDSCHs via DCI 1-3. The cell index corresponding to the first PDSCH is 0, the cell index corresponding to the second PDSCH is 1, the cell index corresponding to the third PDSCH is 2, and the cell index corresponding to the fourth PDSCH is 3. The protocol predefines that the two smallest cell indices carry the new-DCI. Therefore, the first and second PDSCHs carry the new-DCI.

[0319] In one implementation, the network device schedules at least four PDSCHs via DCI 1-3. The cell index corresponding to the first PDSCH is 0, the cell index corresponding to the second PDSCH is 1, the cell index corresponding to the third PDSCH is 2, and the cell index corresponding to the fourth PDSCH is 3. The protocol predefines that the two largest cell indices carry the new-DCI. Therefore, the third and fourth PDSCHs carry the new-DCI.

[0320] In one implementation, the network device is configured to repeat the PDSCH four times in the time domain, namely the first PDSCH, second PDSCH, third PDSCH, and fourth PDSCH. The protocol predefines that the first PDSCH carries the new-DCI. Therefore, the first PDSCH carries the new-DCI.

[0321] In one implementation, the network device is configured to repeat PDSCH four times in the time domain, namely the first PDSCH, second PDSCH, third PDSCH, and fourth PDSCH. The protocol predefines that the first two PDSCHs carry the new-DCI. Therefore, the first and second PDSCHs carry the new-DCI.

[0322] Option 2: Based on protocol predefinition, that is, all scheduled PDSCHs are determined to carry New-DCI through protocol predefinition. Specifically, the protocol predefinition ensures that all PDSCHs scheduled through the first method carry New-DCI. The first method includes, but is not limited to: one DCI scheduling multiple PDSCHs, repeated transmission of PDSCHs, configuring multiple PDSCHs in one cycle, and activating multiple PDSCHs in one cycle.

[0323] In one implementation, the network device schedules at least four PDSCHs via DCI 1-3. The cell index corresponding to the first PDSCH is 0, the cell index corresponding to the second PDSCH is 1, the cell index corresponding to the third PDSCH is 2, and the cell index corresponding to the fourth PDSCH is 3. The protocol predefines that the cell index with the smallest value carries the new-DCI. Therefore, the first PDSCH carries the new-DCI.

[0324] In one implementation, the network device schedules at least four PDSCHs via DCI 1-3. The cell index corresponding to the first PDSCH is 0, the cell index corresponding to the second PDSCH is 1, the cell index corresponding to the third PDSCH is 2, and the cell index corresponding to the fourth PDSCH is 3. The protocol predefines that all PDSCHs carry the new-DCI. Therefore, the first, second, third, and fourth PDSCHs carry the new-DCI.

[0325] In one implementation, the network device is configured to repeat PDSCH four times in the time domain, namely the first PDSCH, second PDSCH, third PDSCH, and fourth PDSCH. The protocol predefines that all PDSCHs carry the new-DCI. Therefore, the first, second, third, and fourth PDSCHs carry the new-DCI.

[0326] Option 3: Based on network configuration, i.e., indicating which PDSCH(s) or PDSCH(s) carry New-DCI via network signaling. Network signaling includes, but is not limited to, RRC signaling, DCI, and MAC CE.

[0327] The first RRC signaling indicates the PDSCH carrying the new-DCI. The first RRC signaling includes a first parameter.

[0328] Optionally, the first parameter is a bitmap, where each bit corresponds to at least one PDSCH. The first bit value corresponds to carrying new-DCI, and the second bit value corresponds to not carrying new-DCI.

[0329] Optionally, the first parameter is an index, and each index corresponds to at least one PDSCH. Furthermore, the bits of the first parameter may have redundant bits.

[0330] In one implementation, the first RRC signaling includes a first parameter bitmap with a size of 4, where the 4 bits correspond to the first PDSCH, second PDSCH, third PDSCH, and fourth PDSCH, respectively. When the bitmap indicates 0101, the first and third PDSCHs carry the new-DCI.

[0331] In one implementation, the first DCI includes a first parameter consisting of two bits. The four values ​​of these two bits correspond to the first PDSCH, second PDSCH, third PDSCH, and fourth PDSCH, respectively. When the bitmap indicates 0 or 1, the second PDSCH carries the new-DCI.

[0332] In one implementation, the first RRC signaling includes a first parameter bitmap with a size of 4, where the 4 bits correspond to the first PDSCH, second PDSCH, third PDSCH, and fourth PDSCH, respectively. When the bitmap indicates 0101, the first and third PDSCHs carry the new-DCI.

[0333] In one implementation, the first DCI includes a first parameter consisting of two bits. The four values ​​of these two bits correspond to the first PDSCH, second PDSCH, third PDSCH, and fourth PDSCH, respectively. When the bitmap indicates 0 or 1, the second PDSCH carries the new-DCI.

[0334] Option 4: Based on RRC signaling configuration, switching is performed via DCI. The PDSCH of N candidate bearers for new-DCI is configured via RRC signaling. The DCI indicates that at least one of the PDSCH of the N candidate bearers for new-DCI is selected.

[0335] In one implementation, the first RRC signaling configuration includes four PDSCH configurations: first PDSCH, first and second PDSCH, second and third PDSCH, and third and fourth PDSCH. The first DCI contains two bits; when indicated by 0 or 1, the first and second PDSCHs carry the new-DCI.

[0336] In some embodiments, the steps and their optional implementations in other embodiments described before or after this embodiment, as well as other related parts in the specification, can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0337] This disclosure also proposes an apparatus (also referred to as a communication device, etc.) for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is proposed that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by the terminal in any of the above methods. Furthermore, another apparatus is proposed that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network functional node, a core network device, etc.) in any of the above methods.

[0338] It should be understood that the division of units or modules in the above device is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Furthermore, the units or modules in the device can be implemented by a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor connected to a memory containing instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or to implement the functions of the units or modules in the above device. The processor can be, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory can be internal or external to the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits. The functionality of some or all of the units or modules can be achieved through the design of these hardware circuits, which can be understood as one or more processors. For example, in one implementation, the hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The functionality of some or all of the units or modules is achieved through the design of the logical relationships between the components within the circuit. In another implementation, the hardware circuit can be implemented using a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gates. The connection relationships between the logic gates are configured through configuration files, thereby achieving the functionality of some or all of the units or modules. All units or modules of the above device can be implemented entirely through processor-called software, entirely through hardware circuits, or partially through processor-called software with the remaining parts implemented through hardware circuits.

[0339] In this embodiment, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction read and execute capabilities, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationships of hardware circuits. The logical relationships of the aforementioned hardware circuits are fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented using an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and configuring the hardware circuit can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. Furthermore, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a Neural Network Processing Unit (NPU), a Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), or a Deep Learning Processing Unit (DPU).

[0340] Figure 4A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 4A, the terminal 101 may include at least one of a transceiver module 1011, a processing module 1012, etc.

[0341] In some embodiments, the processing module 1012 is used to determine a first data channel carrying first downlink control information (DCI) among a plurality of data channels between the terminal and the network device.

[0342] Optionally, the transceiver module 1011 is used to perform at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving performed by the terminal 101 in any of the above methods (e.g., the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving performed by the terminal 101 in S201A-S203A, S201B-S203B, S301-S302, but not limited thereto), which will not be elaborated here. Optionally, the processing module 1012 is used to perform at least one of the other steps performed by the terminal 101 in any of the above methods (e.g., other steps besides the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving performed by the terminal 101 in S201A-S203A, S201B-S203B, S301-S302, but not limited thereto), which will not be elaborated here.

[0343] In some embodiments, the transceiver module may include a sending module and / or a receiving module, which may be separate or integrated together.

[0344] In some embodiments, the processing module may be a single module or may include multiple sub-modules. Optionally, the multiple sub-modules may each perform all or part of the steps required by the processing module.

[0345] In some embodiments, the processing module can be replaced by the processor, and the transceiver module can be replaced by the transceiver.

[0346] Figure 4B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device according to an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 4B, the network device 102 may include at least one of a transceiver module 1021, a processing module 1022, etc.

[0347] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1021 is configured to send a first DCI to the terminal via a first data channel among a plurality of data channels between the terminal and the network device, wherein the plurality of data channels are used by the terminal to determine the first data channel.

[0348] Optionally, the transceiver module 1021 is used to perform at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving performed by the network device 102 in any of the above methods (e.g., the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving performed by the network device 102 in S201A-S203A, S201B-S203B, S301-S302, but not limited thereto), which will not be elaborated here. Optionally, the processing module 1022 is used to perform at least one of the other steps performed by the network device 102 in any of the above methods (e.g., other steps besides the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving performed by the network device 102 in S201A-S203A, S201B-S203B, S301-S302, but not limited thereto), which will not be elaborated here.

[0349] In some embodiments, the transceiver module may include a sending module and / or a receiving module, which may be separate or integrated together.

[0350] In some embodiments, the processing module may be a single module or may include multiple sub-modules. Optionally, the multiple sub-modules may each perform all or part of the steps required by the processing module.

[0351] In some embodiments, the processing module can be replaced by the processor, and the transceiver module can be replaced by the transceiver.

[0352] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 5100 proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. The communication device 5100 can be a network device (e.g., access network device, core network device, etc.), a terminal (e.g., user equipment, etc.), a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the network device in implementing any of the above methods, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal in implementing any of the above methods. The communication device 5100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0353] As shown in Figure 5A, the communication device 5100 is used to execute any of the above methods. In some embodiments, the communication device 5100 includes one or more processors 5101. The processor 5101 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control communication devices (e.g., base stations, baseband chips, terminals, terminal chips, DUs or CUs, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. Optionally, the communication device 5100 is used to execute any of the above methods. Optionally, one or more processors 5101 are used to invoke instructions to cause the communication device 5100 to execute any of the above methods.

[0354] In some embodiments, the communication device 5100 further includes one or more transceivers 5102. When the communication device 5100 includes one or more transceivers 5102, the transceiver 5102 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above-described method (e.g., the sending and / or receiving steps in S201A-S203A, S201B-S203B, S301-S302, but not limited thereto), and the processor 5101 performs at least one of the other steps (e.g., steps other than sending and / or receiving in S201A-S203A, S201B-S203B, S301-S302, but not limited thereto). In optional embodiments, the transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter, which may be separate or integrated together. Optionally, terms such as transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, interface circuit, and interface can be used interchangeably; terms such as transmitter, transmitter unit, transmitter, and transmitter circuit can be used interchangeably; and terms such as receiver, receiver unit, receiver, and receiver circuit can be used interchangeably.

[0355] In some embodiments, the communication device 5100 further includes one or more memories 5103 for storing data and / or instructions. Optionally, one or more processors 5101 are used to invoke instructions stored in the memory 5103 to cause the communication device 5100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, all or part of the memory 5103 may also be located outside the communication device 5100. In an optional embodiment, the communication device 5100 may include one or more interface circuits 5104. Optionally, the interface circuit 5104 is connected to the memory 5103 and can be used to receive data and / or instructions from the memory 5103 or other devices, and can be used to send data and / or instructions to the memory 5103 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 5104 can read data and / or instructions stored in the memory 5103 and send the data and / or instructions to the processor 5101.

[0356] The communication device 5100 described in the above embodiments may be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 5100 described in this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 5100 may not be limited by FIG. 5A. The communication device may be a standalone device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: (1) a standalone integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the IC collection may also include storage components for storing data, programs and / or instructions; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, terminal, smart terminal, cellular phone, wireless device, handheld device, mobile unit, vehicle device, network device, cloud device, artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0357] Figure 5B is a schematic diagram of the structure of chip 5200 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. For cases where the communication device 5100 can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to the schematic diagram of chip 5200 shown in Figure 5B, but it is not limited thereto.

[0358] Chip 5200 includes one or more processors 5201. Chip 5200 is used to perform any of the methods described above.

[0359] In some embodiments, chip 5200 further includes one or more interface circuits 5202. Optionally, terms such as interface circuit, interface, and transceiver pin can be used interchangeably. In some embodiments, chip 5200 further includes one or more memories 5203 for storing data and / or instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 5203 may be located outside of chip 5200. Optionally, the interface circuit 5202 is connected to the memories 5203, and the interface circuit 5202 can be used to receive data and / or instructions from the memories 5203 or other devices, and the interface circuit 5202 can be used to send data and / or instructions to the memories 5203 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 5202 can read data and / or instructions stored in the memories 5203 and send the data and / or instructions to the processor 5201.

[0360] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 5202 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above-described method (e.g., the sending and / or receiving steps in S201A-S203A, S201B-S203B, S301-S302, but not limited thereto). The interface circuit 5202 performing the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above-described method refers, for example, to the interface circuit 5202 performing data and / or instruction interaction between the processor 5201, chip 5200, memory 5203, or transceiver device. In some embodiments, the processor 5201 performs at least one of other steps (e.g., steps other than sending and / or receiving in S201A-S203A, S201B-S203B, S301-S302, but not limited thereto).

[0361] The modules and / or devices described in the various embodiments, such as virtual devices, physical devices, and chips, can be combined or separated arbitrarily as needed. Optionally, some or all steps can also be performed collaboratively by multiple modules and / or devices, which is not limited here.

[0362] This disclosure also proposes a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a temporary storage medium.

[0363] This disclosure also proposes a program product, including a program and / or instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, cause the communication device to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product. Optionally, the program product is stored on the storage medium.

[0364] This disclosure also proposes a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the above methods.

[0365] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this disclosure.

[0366] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0367] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this disclosure, but the scope of protection of this disclosure is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of this disclosure should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is executed by a terminal and includes: The first data channel carrying the first downlink control information (DCI) is determined among the multiple data channels between the terminal and the network device.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining the first data channel carrying the first DCI among multiple data channels between the terminal and the network device includes: The first data channel is determined based on the first information agreed upon in the agreement; or The first data channel is determined based on the first information sent by the network device.

3. The method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: The first data channel is determined based on the time-domain information corresponding to the plurality of data channels; The first data channel is determined based on the frequency domain information corresponding to the plurality of data channels; The first data channel is determined based on the time-domain location corresponding to the plurality of data channels; The first data channel is determined based on the time slot index corresponding to the plurality of data channels; The first data channel is determined based on the cell index corresponding to the plurality of data channels; Each of the plurality of data channels is determined to be the first data channel.

4. The method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The first information is also used to indicate at least one of the following: The first N data channels sorted in the time domain are all the first data channel, where N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of data channels; The last N data channels are all the first data channel when sorted in the time domain, where N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of data channels; The data channels corresponding to the top N cell indices sorted from largest to smallest are the first data channel, where N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of data channels of the plurality of data channels. The data channels corresponding to the top N cell indices sorted from smallest to largest are the first data channel, where N is a positive integer less than or equal to the number of data channels.

5. The method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The first information includes at least one bit, each of the at least one bit corresponding to at least one data channel among the plurality of data channels; or The first information includes at least one bit, and each of the plurality of values ​​of the at least one bit corresponds to at least one of the plurality of data channels; or The first information includes multiple bits, and each bit of at least one of the multiple bits (excluding redundant bits) corresponds to at least one data channel among the multiple data channels; or The first information includes at least one bit, and each of the at least one value of the at least one bit (excluding redundant values) corresponds to at least one data channel among the plurality of data channels. or The first information includes at least one index information, and each of the at least one index information corresponds to at least one of the plurality of data channels.

6. The method as described in claim 5, characterized in that, When each bit corresponds to at least one of the plurality of data channels When the bit takes the first value, it indicates that at least one of the plurality of data channels corresponding to the bit is the first data channel, and / or When the bit takes the second value, it indicates that at least one of the plurality of data channels corresponding to the bit is not the first data channel.

7. The method as described in claim 2, 5, or 6, characterized in that, The first information is carried in any one of Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, a second DCI, a Media Access Control (MAC) CE, and a third DCI. The second DCI is used to schedule the plurality of data channels, and the third DCI is used to activate the plurality of data channels among the plurality of candidate data channels configured by the RRC signaling sent by the network device.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The multiple data channels transmitted by the receiving network device include: Receive a second DCI sent by the network device, wherein the second DCI is used to schedule the plurality of data channels; or Receive RRC signaling sent by the network device, wherein the RRC signaling is used to configure the plurality of data channels; or The network device receives a third DCI, wherein the third DCI is used to activate the plurality of data channels among the plurality of candidate data channels configured by the RRC signaling sent by the network device.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The data channel is used to carry at least one of the following: Data information; Control information; Demodulation reference information.

10. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is executed by a network device and includes: A first DCI is sent to the terminal via a first data channel among multiple data channels between the terminal and the network device, wherein the multiple data channels are used by the terminal to determine the first data channel.

11. The method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The plurality of data channels are used by the terminal to determine the first data channel according to the first information agreed upon in the protocol; or to determine the first data channel according to the first information sent by the network device.

12. The method as described in claim 11, characterized in that, The first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: The first data channel is determined based on the time-domain information corresponding to the plurality of data channels; The first data channel is determined based on the frequency domain information corresponding to the plurality of data channels; The first data channel is determined based on the time-domain location corresponding to the plurality of data channels; The first data channel is determined based on the time slot index corresponding to the plurality of data channels; The first data channel is determined based on the cell index corresponding to the plurality of data channels; Each of the plurality of data channels is determined to be the first data channel.

13. The method as described in claim 12, characterized in that, The first information is also used to indicate at least one of the following: The first N data channels sorted in the time domain are all the first data channel, where N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of data channels; The last N data channels are all the first data channel when sorted in the time domain, where N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of data channels; The data channels corresponding to the top N cell indices sorted from largest to smallest are the first data channel, where N is a positive integer and is less than or equal to the number of data channels of the plurality of data channels. The data channels corresponding to the top N cell indices sorted from smallest to largest are the first data channel, where N is a positive integer less than or equal to the number of data channels.

14. The method as described in claim 11, characterized in that, The first information includes at least one bit, each of the at least one bit corresponding to at least one data channel among the plurality of data channels; or The first information includes at least one bit, and each of the plurality of values ​​of the at least one bit corresponds to at least one of the plurality of data channels; or The first information includes multiple bits, and each bit of at least one of the multiple bits (excluding redundant bits) corresponds to at least one data channel among the multiple data channels; or The first information includes at least one bit, and each of the at least one value of the at least one bit (excluding redundant values) corresponds to at least one data channel among the plurality of data channels. or The first information includes at least one index information, and each of the at least one index information corresponds to at least one of the plurality of data channels.

15. The method as described in claim 14, characterized in that, When each bit corresponds to at least one of the plurality of data channels When the bit takes the first value, it indicates that at least one of the plurality of data channels corresponding to the bit is the first data channel, and / or When the bit takes the second value, it indicates that at least one of the plurality of data channels corresponding to the bit is not the first data channel.

16. The method as described in claim 11, 14, or 15, characterized in that, The first information is carried in any one of RRC signaling, a second DCI, MAC CE, and a third DCI. The second DCI is used to schedule the plurality of data channels, and the third DCI is used to activate the plurality of data channels among the plurality of candidate data channels configured by the RRC signaling sent by the network device.

17. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 16, characterized in that, The transmission of multiple data channels to the terminal includes: Send a second DCI to the terminal, wherein the second DCI is used to schedule the plurality of data channels; or Send RRC signaling to the terminal, wherein the RRC signaling is used to configure the plurality of data channels; or A third DCI is sent to the terminal, wherein the third DCI is used to activate the plurality of data channels among the plurality of candidate data channels configured by the RRC signaling sent by the network device.

18. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 17, characterized in that, The data channel is used to carry at least one of the following: Data information; Control information; Demodulation reference information.

19. A communication method, characterized in that, include: The network device sends a first DCI to the terminal through a first data channel among multiple data channels between the terminal and the network device, wherein the multiple data channels are used by the terminal to determine the first data channel; The terminal determines a first data channel carrying the first DCI among multiple data channels between the terminal and the network device.

20. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device is used to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, 10 to 18.

21. A communication system, characterized in that, The device includes a terminal and a network device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 9, and the network device is configured to implement the method of any one of claims 10 to 18.

22. A storage medium storing instructions, characterized in that, When the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device performs the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, 10 to 18.

23. A program product comprising at least one of a program and instructions, characterized in that, When at least one of the programs or instructions is executed by a communication device, it implements the method described in any one of claims 1 to 9, 10 to 18.

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