CN109429306B

CN109429306B - Communication method and terminal equipment

Info

Publication number: CN109429306B
Application number: CN201710496266.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 刘星; 黄曲芳; 曾清海
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-06-26
Filing date: 2017-06-26
Publication date: 2021-02-23
Anticipated expiration: 2037-06-26
Also published as: CN109429306A

Abstract

The application provides a communication method and terminal equipment, wherein the method comprises the following steps: the method comprises the steps that terminal equipment receives at least one Discontinuous Reception (DRX) parameter sent by a base station, the at least one DRX parameter is configured according to at least one of different configuration types, and the configuration types comprise a logic channel, a load and an air interface format; and the terminal equipment monitors at least one downlink control channel according to the at least one DRX parameter. According to the method and the device, the terminal equipment receives the DRX parameters from the base station and monitors the downlink control channel according to the received DRX parameters, so that the DRX parameters can be correctly used for monitoring the downlink control channel when each DRX parameter has various configurations.

Description

Communication method and terminal equipment

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of mobile communications technologies, and in particular, to a communication method and a terminal device.

Background

In Long Term Evolution (LTE), in order to save power for a terminal device, a Discontinuous Reception (DRX) mechanism is introduced, and the DRX mechanism configures one DRX cycle for a terminal device in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connected state. The DRX period consists of an 'On Duration' and an 'Opportunity for DRX' (dormant period), and the terminal equipment monitors and receives a downlink control channel in the 'On Duration' time; in the "Opportunity for DRX" time, the terminal device does not receive data of the downlink channel to save power consumption.

In LTE, each DRX parameter has only one value, but as technology evolves, Technical Specification (TS) of a new mobile communication system is continuously researched and formulated. For example, in the fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system, there are multiple configurations for each DRX parameter, and in this case, how to save power of the terminal device is still a problem to be solved.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a communication method and terminal equipment, which can be used for saving electricity of the terminal equipment.

In order to achieve the purpose, the application provides the following technical scheme:

in a first aspect, a communication method is provided, including: the method comprises the steps that terminal equipment receives at least one Discontinuous Reception (DRX) parameter sent by wireless access equipment, the at least one DRX parameter is configured according to at least one of different configuration types, and the configuration types comprise a logic channel, a load and an air interface format; and the terminal equipment monitors at least one downlink control channel according to the at least one DRX parameter. According to the method and the device, the terminal device receives the DRX parameters from the wireless access device and monitors the downlink control channel according to the received DRX parameters, so that the DRX parameters can be correctly used for monitoring the downlink control channel when each DRX parameter has various configurations.

In one possible design, the terminal device receives indication information sent by the wireless access device, where the indication information is used to indicate an active DRX parameter of the at least one DRX parameter; the terminal equipment monitors at least one control channel according to the DRX parameters, and the method comprises the following steps: and the terminal equipment monitors at least one downlink control channel according to the activated DRX parameters. Therefore, the terminal equipment monitors the downlink control channel according to the activated DRX parameters indicated by the wireless access equipment, and the method is simple and easy to implement.

In one possible design, the terminal device determines a DRX parameter corresponding to at least one configuration type according to at least one configuration type corresponding to the monitored downlink control channel, where the at least one configuration type includes a configuration type of the monitored downlink control channel in different configuration types; the terminal equipment monitors at least one downlink control channel according to at least one DRX parameter, and the method comprises the following steps: and the terminal equipment monitors a downlink control channel according to the DRX parameters corresponding to the at least one configuration type. Therefore, the terminal equipment monitors the downlink control channel only according to the monitored DRX parameter corresponding to the configuration type corresponding to the downlink control channel, the power consumption of the terminal equipment can be further saved, and the method is simple and easy to implement.

In one possible design, the terminal device monitors the transmission indicator on a first downlink control channel of the at least one downlink control channel, and then the terminal device continues to monitor on the first downlink control channel. Therefore, the terminal equipment can correctly receive the retransmitted data and only continues monitoring on the first downlink control channel, and the power consumption of the terminal equipment can be further saved.

In one possible design, the at least one DRX parameter includes part or all of a first timer, at least one short cycle parameter, a second timer corresponding to each of the at least one short cycle parameter, a third timer corresponding to each of the at least one short cycle parameter, at least one long cycle parameter, a fourth timer corresponding to each of the at least one long cycle parameter, a fifth timer, and a sixth timer;

the first timer is used for indicating the duration of the terminal equipment in the activated state after successfully decoding a downlink control channel indicating the initial transmission user data; each short cycle parameter comprises a starting offset position and a short cycle length; each second timer is used for indicating the duration of the corresponding short period of the continuous use of the terminal equipment; each third timer is used for indicating the duration of the activation period in the corresponding short period; each long period parameter comprises a starting offset position and a long period length; each fourth timer is used for indicating the duration of the activation period in the corresponding long period; the fifth timer is used for indicating the maximum time length for continuously monitoring the downlink control channel by the terminal equipment, and the downlink control channel indicates downlink retransmission information; the sixth timer is used for indicating the maximum duration for the terminal equipment to continuously monitor the downlink control channel, and the downlink control channel indicates the uplink retransmission information.

The number of the short period parameters may be one or more, and between any two short period parameters, the starting offset positions may be different, or the short period lengths may be different, or both may be different.

There may be one or more long period parameters, and between any two long period parameters, the starting offset position may be different, or the long period length may be different, or both may be different.

In one possible design, the time unit of the at least one DRX parameter is a time unit of an air interface format corresponding to the at least one DRX parameter. Therefore, the time unit can be flexibly used according to the air interface format.

In one possible design, the air interface format may include some or all of cell, bandwidth, numerology. Thus, multiple DRX parameters can be flexibly set.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a terminal device, where the terminal device has a function of implementing the terminal device in the first aspect. The function can be realized by hardware, and can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In one possible design, the terminal device includes: a processor, a transceiver, a memory; the memory is used for storing computer execution instructions, the transceiver is used for realizing the communication between the terminal device and other communication entities, the processor is connected with the memory through the bus, and when the terminal device runs, the processor executes the computer execution instructions stored by the memory so as to enable the terminal device to execute the method of the first aspect.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including: the wireless access equipment sends at least one Discontinuous Reception (DRX) parameter to the terminal equipment, and the at least one DRX parameter is configured according to at least one of different configuration types, wherein the configuration types comprise a logic channel, a load and an air interface format.

Optionally, the at least one DRX parameter may be used for the terminal device to monitor at least one downlink control channel according to the at least one DRX parameter.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a wireless access device, which may be a base station, for example, and has a function of implementing the base station in the third aspect. The function can be realized by hardware, and can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In one possible design, the base station includes: a processor, a transceiver, a memory; the memory is used for storing computer-executable instructions, the transceiver is used for realizing the wireless access device to communicate with other communication entities, the processor is connected with the memory through the bus, and when the wireless access device runs, the processor executes the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory so as to enable the wireless access device to execute the method of the third aspect.

In a fifth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer storage medium storing computer software instructions for a terminal device, which includes a program designed for the terminal device to execute the above aspects.

In a sixth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer storage medium storing computer software instructions for a wireless access device, which includes a program designed for the wireless access device to execute the above aspects.

In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer program product. The computer program product comprises computer software instructions which are loadable by a processor to cause execution of the procedures described in the method of the first aspect.

In an eighth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer program product. The computer program product comprises computer software instructions which are loadable by a processor to cause execution of the procedures described in the method of the third aspect.

In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip, which includes a processor, a transceiver component, and optionally a memory, and is configured to execute the communication method of the first aspect.

In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip, which includes a processor, a transceiver component, and optionally a memory, and is configured to execute the communication method of the first aspect.

In addition, for technical effects brought by any one of the design manners in the second aspect to the tenth aspect, reference may be made to technical effects brought by different design manners in the first aspect, and details are not described here.

These and other aspects of the present application will be more readily apparent from the following description of the embodiments.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3(a) is a diagram illustrating DRX cycle in LTE;

fig. 3(b) is another DRX cycle diagram in LTE;

fig. 4 is a schematic state diagram of a terminal device provided in the present application;

fig. 5 is a communication method provided in the present application;

fig. 6 is another communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. The particular methods of operation in the method embodiments may also be applied to apparatus embodiments or system embodiments. In the description of the present application, the term "plurality" means two or more unless otherwise specified.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture according to an embodiment of the present application, and includes at least one terminal device 10, which communicates with a wireless access device 20 through a wireless interface.

The terminal equipment is equipment with a wireless transceiving function, can be deployed on land and comprises an indoor or outdoor, a handheld or a vehicle-mounted terminal; can also be deployed on the water surface (such as a ship and the like); and may also be deployed in the air (e.g., airplanes, balloons, satellites, etc.). The terminal device may be a mobile phone (mobile phone), a tablet computer (pad), a computer with a wireless transceiving function, a Virtual Reality (VR) terminal, an Augmented Reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control (industrial control), a wireless terminal in self driving (self driving), a wireless terminal in remote medical (remote medical), a wireless terminal in smart grid (smart grid), a wireless terminal in transportation safety (transportation safety), a wireless terminal in smart city (smart city), a wireless terminal in smart home (smart home), and the like, for example, the terminal device may further include a User Equipment (UE).

The wireless access device is a device for accessing a terminal device to a wireless network, and includes but is not limited to: an evolved Node B (eNB), a Radio Network Controller (RNC), a Node B (NB), a Base Station Controller (BSC), a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), a home base station (e.g., home evolved Node B or home Node B, HNB), a Base Band Unit (BBU), a base station (g nodeB, gbb), a transmission point (TRP), a Transmission Point (TP), a mobile switching center, etc., and further, a wifi Access Point (AP), etc. may be included.

For convenience of description, the present application will be described by taking a wireless access device as a base station as an example, and when the functions of the base station are described later, the functions of the base station can be extended to the functions of the wireless access device.

As shown in fig. 2, a communication apparatus 200 provided for the embodiment of the present application includes at least one processor 21, a communication bus 22, a memory 23, and at least one communication interface 24. The apparatus 200 may be a terminal device in this embodiment, and the apparatus 200 may also be a base station in this embodiment, and the apparatus 200 may be configured to execute the communication method provided in this embodiment.

The processor 21 may be a general purpose Central Processing Unit (CPU), microprocessor, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more ics for controlling the execution of programs in accordance with the teachings of the present application.

Communication bus 22 may include a path that transfers information between the aforementioned components. The communication interface 24 may be any device, such as a transceiver, for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as an ethernet network, a Radio Access Network (RAN), a wlan, etc.

The memory 23 may be, but is not limited to, a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a Random Access Memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disc storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by the apparatus. The memory may be self-contained and coupled to the processor via a bus. The memory may also be integral to the processor.

The memory 23 is used for storing application program codes for executing the scheme of the application, and is controlled by the processor 21 to execute. The processor 21 is configured to execute application program code stored in the memory 23.

In particular implementations, processor 21 may include one or more CPUs such as CPU0 and CPU1 in fig. 2, for example, as one embodiment.

In one implementation, the apparatus 200 may comprise a plurality of processors, such as the processor 21 and the processor 28 in fig. 2, for example. Each of these processors may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. A processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and/or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

Illustratively, the terminal device in fig. 1 may be the apparatus shown in fig. 2, and one or more software modules are stored in the memory of the terminal device. The terminal device may implement the software module through the processor and the program code in the memory, thereby implementing the communication method executed by the terminal device in the embodiment of the present application.

Illustratively, the base station in fig. 1 may be the apparatus shown in fig. 2, and one or more software modules are stored in the memory of the base station. The base station may implement the software module through a processor and program codes in a memory, thereby implementing the communication method executed by the base station in the embodiment of the present application.

In LTE, in order to save power for the terminal device, a DRX mechanism is introduced, which configures one DRX cycle for the terminal device in the RRC connected state. The DRX period consists of an 'On Duration' and an 'Opportunity for DRX' (dormant period), and the terminal equipment monitors and receives a downlink control channel in the 'On Duration' time; in the "Opportunity for DRX" time, the terminal device does not receive data of the downlink channel to save power consumption.

Referring to fig. 3(a), which is a diagram illustrating a DRX Cycle in LTE, it can be seen that, in the time domain, time is divided into consecutive DRX cycles (cycles). drxStartOffset specifies the starting subframe of the DRX Cycle, and long DRX Cycle specifies how many subframes a long DRX Cycle occupies. The timer onDurationTimer specifies the number of consecutive subframes (i.e., the number of subframes for which the active period lasts) for which a Physical DownLink Control Channel (PDCCH) needs to be monitored from the start subframe of the DRX cycle.

In general, when a terminal device is scheduled and receives or transmits data in a certain subframe, it is likely to continue to be scheduled in the next several subframes, and if it is to wait for the next DRX cycle to receive or transmit the data, it will cause extra delay. Therefore, in order to reduce such delay, the terminal device may stay in the active period after being scheduled, that is, may continuously monitor the PDCCH during the configured active period. The realization mechanism is as follows: each time the terminal device is scheduled to initially transmit data, a timer drxinactivtytimer is started (or restarted), and the terminal device will remain in an active state until the timer times out. The drxinactivtytimer specifies the number of consecutive subframes that are continuously in an active state after the terminal device successfully decodes a PDCCH indicating Uplink (UL) or Downlink (DL) user data of an initial transmission. I.e. the timer is restarted once each time the terminal device has the initial transmission data scheduled. It should be noted that here, the initial transmission is not the retransmission. Initial transmission, which refers to the first transmission of a certain Transport Block (TB); retransmission, refers to every retransmission of the same transport block after the first transmission.

To allow the terminal device to sleep during hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) Round Trip Time (RTT), each DL HARQ process (process) defines a HARQ RTT timer, and each UL HARQ process defines a UL HARQ RTT timer. When decoding of a Transport Block (TB) of a certain HARQ process fails, the terminal device may assume that there is a retransmission at least after the HARQ RTT subframe, so the UE does not have to monitor the PDCCH when the HARQ RTT timer or UL HARQ RTT timer is running. When the HARQ RTT timer or the UL HARQ RTT timer expires and the data received by the corresponding HARQ process is not decoded successfully, the terminal device starts a drxrransmissiontimer or a drxulrransmissiontimer for the HARQ process. When the timer is running, the terminal device monitors the PDCCH for HARQ retransmission. The length of drxrensmissiontimer and drxulrensmissiontimer is related to the flexibility requirement of the base station scheduler. If the optimal battery consumption is to be achieved, the base station is required to schedule HARQ retransmission immediately after the HARQ RTT timer or UL HARQ RTT timer times out, which also requires the base station to reserve wireless resources for this purpose, and at this time, drxrensmissionsitor and drxulrensmissionsitor may be configured to be shorter. drxrenstationtimer and drxulretransfessiontimtimer specify the maximum number of subframes for continuously monitoring the PDCCH from the subframe (after HARQ RTT) in which the terminal device expects to receive the retransmission schedule.

The selection of DXR cycle involves a balance between battery conservation and latency. In one aspect, a long DRX cycle is beneficial for extending battery life of the terminal device; for example, when a user is reading a downloaded web page, resources are wasted if the terminal device continues to receive downlink data at this time. On the other hand, a shorter DRX cycle facilitates faster response when there is a new data transmission; for example, the terminal device requests another web page or voice over internet protocol (VoIP). To meet the above requirements, each terminal device may configure two DRX cycles: short DRX Cycle and long DRX Cycle.

As shown in fig. 3(b), for configuring two DRX cycles in LTE, when the terminal device receives a scheduling message during the "On Duration", the terminal device starts a "drxinactivtytimer" and monitors the PDCCH in each subframe during the timer operation. When a piece of scheduling information is received during the operation of the "drxinactivtytimer", the terminal device restarts the timer (corresponding to (2) in fig. 3 (b)).

When "DRX inactivity timer" times out or receives a DRX command sent by the base station, such as media access control element (MAC CE) signaling, then: 1) if the terminal equipment is not configured with short DRX cycle, directly using the long DRX cycle; 2) if the terminal device configures the short DRX cycle, the terminal device uses the short DRX cycle and starts (or restarts) the timer drxShortCyclerTimer, and when the drxShortCyTimer is overtime, the terminal device uses the long DRX cycle (corresponding to (3) in (b) of FIG. 3).

In 5G, since multiple services and multiple air interface formats are introduced, there will be multiple configurations for each DRX parameter. In LTE, the terminal device will use only one configuration for each DRX parameter, and in this application, the problem of how to use multiple DRX configurations will be solved.

In this application, a base station may provide multiple air interface formats, where the multiple air interface formats may refer to air interface formats with different following at least one parameter or information.

A. Bandwidth configuration or set of bandwidth configurations

In this embodiment of the present invention, the bandwidth configuration may refer to a usage width on a frequency domain resource required by an air interface format, which is taken as an example and is not limited to, and may refer to a minimum frequency domain resource width required by an air interface format or a number of subcarriers for a bandwidth configuration corresponding to a broadband transmission service; the bandwidth configuration corresponding to the narrowband transmission service may refer to a maximum frequency domain resource width required by an air interface format, or a number of subcarriers.

B. Radio frame configuration mode

B1. The subcarrier spacing.

B2. The length of the symbol.

B3. Cyclic Prefix (CP).

B4. The duplex mode may be, for example, full duplex, half duplex (including uplink and downlink matching of half duplex), or flexible duplex, and it should be noted that, in some air interface formats, the duplex mode may be fixed or may be flexibly changed, and the present invention is not particularly limited.

B5. The length of the Transmission Time Interval (TTI) needs to be described, and in some air interface formats, the TTI may be a fixed value or may be flexibly changed, which is not particularly limited in the present invention.

B6. Length of radio frame and radio subframe.

C. Channel configuration mode

In the embodiment of the present invention, different channels may be used to transmit different types of data or signals, and thus, the channel configuration mode may refer to time-frequency resources, code domain resources, and space domain resources (e.g., designated beams) corresponding to each channel.

By way of example and not limitation, in embodiments of the present invention, the channel used for wireless communication may include at least one or a combination of channels:

C1. the control channel is used for transmitting control information, and may include an uplink control channel and a downlink control channel, for example.

C2. The data channel is used for transmitting data, and may include an uplink data channel and a downlink data channel, for example.

C3. And the reference channel is used for transmitting the reference signal.

C4. And the access channel is used for transmitting the access information.

D. Protocol stack configuration mode

The protocol stack (protocol stack) refers to the sum of the protocols of each layer in the network, and the process of file transmission in the network is reflected visually: from the upper layer protocol to the bottom layer protocol, and then from the bottom layer protocol to the upper layer protocol. By way of example and not limitation, in the embodiments of the present invention, a protocol stack used for wireless communication may include at least one of the following protocol layers or a combination of multiple protocol layers, and multiple protocol entities may exist in each layer of protocol:

D1. packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer

D2. Radio Link Control (RLC) layer

D3. Media Access Control (MAC) layer

D4. Physical layer

D5. Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer

E. Cell or group of cells

It should be noted that the above is only used as some examples of the air interface format in the present application, and in practical applications, the air interface format may also include other implementation manners, and the present application is not limited thereto.

As shown in fig. 5, for a communication method provided by the present application, the method is applicable to the architecture shown in fig. 1, and the method includes:

step 501, the base station sends at least one discontinuous reception DRX parameter to the terminal equipment, and the terminal equipment receives at least one discontinuous reception DRX parameter from the base station.

Optionally, the DRX parameters include some or all of the following parameters:

and the first timer is used for indicating the duration of the continuous active state after the terminal equipment successfully decodes a downlink control channel indicating the initial transmission user data. For example, the first timer may be a drx inactivity timer in LTE, but it is also possible that the first timer may take other names in future 5G or other communications, which also belongs to the protection scope of the present invention.

A short cycle parameter including a start offset position and a short cycle length. For example, the short cycle parameter may be a short cycle pattern in LTE, the start offset position may be drxStartOffset in LTE, and the short cycle length may be a short DRX cycle in LTE, although in future 5G or other communications, the short cycle parameter, the start offset position, and the short cycle length may also take other names, which also belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

And each second timer is used for indicating the duration of the corresponding short period continuously used by the terminal equipment. For example, the second timer may be a drxShortCycleTimer in LTE, and there are multiple drxshortcycletimers, and each drxShortCycleTimer corresponds to a short period, but it is also possible that the second timer may take other names in future 5G or other communications, which also belongs to the protection scope of the present invention.

And the third timer is used for indicating the activation period duration in the corresponding short period. For example, the third timer may be an onDurationTimer in LTE, and of course, in future 5G or other communications, the second timer may also take other names, which also belongs to the protection scope of the present invention.

A long period parameter including a start offset position and a long period length. For example, the long cycle parameter may be a long cycle pattern in LTE, the start offset position may be drxStartOffset in LTE, and the long cycle length may be a long DRX cycle in LTE, although in future 5G or other communications, the long cycle parameter, the start offset position, and the long cycle length may also take other names, which also belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

And a fourth timer corresponding to the long period parameter, wherein the fourth timer is used for indicating the activation period duration in the corresponding long period. For example, the fourth timer may be an onDurationTimer in LTE, and of course, in future 5G or other communications, the fourth timer may also take other names, which also belongs to the protection scope of the present invention.

And a fifth timer, configured to instruct the terminal device to continuously monitor a maximum duration of a downlink control channel, where the downlink control channel indicates downlink retransmission information. For example, the fifth timer may be drxransmissiontimer in LTE, and of course, in future 5G or other communications, the fifth timer may also take other names, which also belongs to the protection scope of the present invention.

And the sixth timer is used for indicating the maximum time length for continuously monitoring the downlink control channel by the terminal equipment, and the downlink control channel indicates the uplink retransmission information. For example, the sixth timer may be drx retransmission timer in LTE, but it is also possible that the sixth timer may take other names in future 5G or other communications, which also belongs to the protection scope of the present invention.

Wherein, each DRX parameter is configured according to at least one of different configuration types, and the configuration types include a Logical Channel (LCH), a bearer (bearer), and an air interface format. For example, the air interface format includes part or all of a cell (cell), a cell group (cell group), a bandwidth (bandwidth part), a bandwidth group (bandwidth part group), and a numerology.

As an example, drxinactivtytimer is bound to LCH or bearer, and when LCH or bearer corresponding to a certain drxinactivtytimer is deleted or suspended, the drxinactivtytimer is deactivated or released.

As an example, drxrransmissiontimer is bound to a cell, and when the cell is removed, or deactivated, the drxrransmissiontimer is deactivated or released.

The binding means that the configuration of the timer (timer) is configured according to the characteristics of the LCH or bearer, and whether the timer is deactivated is determined according to whether the LCH or bearer is deleted or suspended.

the fact that the timer is deactivated means that the configuration of the timer is still kept in the terminal equipment, but the terminal equipment does not use the timer or the configuration; the activation means that the terminal equipment monitors a PDCCH (physical downlink control channel); released means that the configuration of the timer is deleted by the terminal device.

Numerology, for example, may include subcarrier spacing (SCS), Cyclic Prefix (CP), and other formats.

Each DRX parameter has multiple configurations, which are determined according to a configuration type corresponding to the DRX parameter, where the configuration type may be part or all of LCH, bearer, cell, bandwidth part, or may be determined according to other configuration types.

In this application, a cell (cell) refers to a serving cell of a terminal device, and if the terminal device is configured with a plurality of base stations, for example, dual connectivity, each base station corresponds to one MAC entity, each MAC entity is responsible for all cells under the base station, and there is a set of DRX configurations, so the set of DRX configurations is determined according to the serving cell under the MAC entity, and therefore, the cell herein refers to a serving cell under a certain base station, and may be a primary base station or a secondary base station, because each base station has a respective DRX configuration and operation.

In this application, a bearer generally refers to a path for transmitting data, and a part of the path between a radio link control protocol (RLC) and a MAC layer is called a logical channel, and when the path is shunted over the RLC and the RLC, there may be a plurality of logical channels.

In the present application, a bandwidth group (bandwidth part) may be understood as a group of frequency bands allocated to a terminal device, and has its own central frequency point and bandwidth.

In 5G, due to introduction of multiple services, service requirements are different, DRX configurations are different, for example, for some download services, cycles can be configured to be a little longer, and different air interface formats cause that a time sequence is variable when a physical layer processes data, and different DRX configurations are also required, for example, an HARQ RTT timer is affected by processing delay, while an air interface format of a short TTI may require shorter processing delay, and thus the HARQ RTT timer may be shorter.

Step 502, the terminal device monitors at least one downlink control channel according to the at least one DRX parameter.

In one implementation, the terminal device monitors one or more downlink control channels according to all DRX parameters sent by the base station, that is, the DRX parameters sent by the base station are all used by the terminal device to monitor the downlink control channels.

In another possible implementation manner, the terminal device further receives indication information sent by the base station, where the indication information is used to indicate an activated DRX parameter in at least one DRX parameter sent by the base station, and the terminal device monitors at least one downlink control channel according to the activated DRX parameter indicated by the indication information. Optionally, the indication information may be sent to the terminal device together with the sent DRX parameters, or the indication information may be sent by sending the DRX parameters first and then sending the indication information through indication signaling.

In another possible implementation manner, the terminal device determines a DRX parameter corresponding to at least one configuration type corresponding to the monitored downlink control channel according to the at least one configuration type corresponding to the at least one configuration type, where the at least one configuration type includes the configuration type of the downlink control channel monitored in different configuration types, and then the terminal device monitors the downlink control channel according to the DRX parameter corresponding to the at least one configuration type.

According to the method and the device, the terminal equipment receives the DRX parameters from the base station and monitors the downlink control channel according to the received DRX parameters, so that the DRX parameters can be correctly used for monitoring the downlink control channel when each DRX parameter has various configurations.

In another implementation, when the terminal device listens to the transmission indication on a first downlink control channel of the at least one downlink control channel, the terminal device continues to listen on the first downlink control channel. Since the terminal device receives the transmission indication on the first downlink control channel, the terminal device receives the retransmitted data or the newly transmitted data on the first control channel.

In another implementation manner, in the present application, the time unit of the DRX parameter may be a time unit of an air interface format corresponding to each DRX parameter. For example, referring to fig. 3(b), for example, the time unit of the long DRX cycle may be a time unit of an air interface format corresponding to the long DRX cycle, for example, the air interface format is a cell, and the time unit of the long DRX cycle is 0.5ms, and if the long DRX cycle occupies 10 time units, the long DRX cycle is 5ms (0.5ms × 10). For another example, if the time unit of the air interface format corresponding to the On Duration in the short DRX cycle is 0.2ms, and if the On Duration in the short DRX cycle occupies 2 time units, the On Duration in the short DRX cycle is 0.4ms (0.2ms × 2).

The above-mentioned scheme provided by the embodiment of the present application is introduced mainly from the perspective of interaction between network elements. It is understood that the base station and the terminal device include hardware structures and/or software modules for performing the functions in order to implement the functions. Those of skill in the art would readily appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as hardware or combinations of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed as hardware or computer software drives hardware depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

In the following, a configuration method and a using method of the DRX parameter are described with reference to specific embodiments. The DRX parameters include drxinactutytimer, DRX transceiver element 602CycleTimer, transceiver element 602cycle pattern (including drxStartOffset and transceiver element 602DRX cycle), onDurationTimer corresponding to short cycle pattern, long cycle pattern (including drxStartOffset and long DRX cycle), onduration timer corresponding to long cycle pattern, drxretransfistributtimer, and drxulretransfistributtimer.

In a possible implementation manner, the DRX parameters are bound to one or more LCHs or bearrs, and when an LCH or a bearer corresponding to a certain DRX parameter is deleted or suspended (suspend), the DRX parameter is deactivated or released.

In another possible implementation manner, the DRX parameter is bound to one or more cells, and when all cells corresponding to a certain DRX parameter are removed (removed) or deactivated, the DRX parameter is deactivated or released.

In another possible implementation manner, the DRX parameters and bandwidth parts are bound, and when the bandwidth parts corresponding to a certain DRX parameter are all removed (removed) or deactivated, the DRX parameter is deactivated or released.

In another possible implementation, the DRX parameter and the numerology are bound, and when the numerology corresponding to a certain DRX parameter is all removed (removed) or deactivated, the DRX parameter is deactivated or released, where the numerology may be the numerology of a PDCCH, or may be the numerology of a downlink data channel, such as a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), or may be the numerology of an uplink data channel, such as a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH).

In a specific implementation, for example, only the active DRX parameters are operated, each DRX parameter has an independent timer configuration value and an independent operating timer, which do not affect each other, and the DRX state of the terminal device may take a set of these DRX parameters, that is, these DRX parameters are operated simultaneously.

It should be noted that these DRX parameters may be configured separately, for example, onDurationTimer and LCH binding, but drxInactivityTimer and numerology binding. Or onDurationTimer and LCH binding, drxinactivtytimer and UE binding, that is, only one public drxinactivtytimer is configured.

Similarly, one configuration type may be configured with multiple DRX parameters, or one DRX parameter corresponds to multiple configuration types, which is not limited in this application.

Regarding DRX inactivity timer, in LTE, the terminal device receives a PDCCH for new transmission, starts or restarts DRX inactivity timer, and when DRX inactivity timer times out, the terminal device enters short DRX cycle (if configured) or long DRX cycle.

In this application, in an implementation manner, if there is only one drx inactivity timer, the terminal device only needs to start or restart the drx inactivity timer.

In another implementation, if there are multiple drxinactivtytimers, at least one cell, or at least one numerology, or at least one bandwidth part, that receives the PDCCH is started or restarted, corresponding to the drxinactivtytimer of the DRX parameter, and further, all cells, numerology, and bandwidth part are controlled by the one drxinactivtytimer.

In another implementation, if there are multiple DRX inactivity timers, the state of starting or restarting all DRX inactivity timers takes the union of all DRX inactivity timers no matter where the terminal device receives the PDCCH, that is, the terminal device enters short DRX cycle (if configured) or long DRX cycle after the longest DRX inactivity timer times out.

Regarding the drxShortCycleTimer, in LTE, when the drxshortivytimer times out, the terminal device starts or restarts the drxShortCycleTimer after entering the short DRX cycle, and when the drxShortCycleTimer does not receive the PDCCH before the timeout, the terminal device enters the long DRX cycle.

In this application, in one case, if there is only one drxShortCycleTimer, the terminal device only needs to start or restart the one drxShortCycleTimer.

In one implementation, if there is a set of short cycle patterns (including drxStartOffset and short DRX cycles) and one onDurationTimer, then the short cycle pattern and the onDurationTimer are used.

In another implementation, if there is one short cycle pattern, multiple ondurationtimers, then the short cycle pattern is used and a union set is taken for the onDurationTimer, or the onDurationTimer corresponding to at least one cell, or at least one numerology, or at least one bandwidt part corresponding to the drxinactevitytimer.

In another implementation, if there are multiple short cycle patterns, one onDurationTimer, then the short cycle patterns take the aggregate, that is, any one configuration starts the onDurationTimer at the time when the onDurationTimer needs to be started, or takes the short cycle pattern corresponding to at least one cell, or at least one numerology, or at least one bandwidt part corresponding to the drxinactevitytimer.

In another implementation, if there are multiple short cycle patterns, multiple onDurationTimer, both configurations need to take a collective set, or at least one cell corresponding to drxInactivityTimer, or at least one numerology, or at least one bandwidth part corresponding onDurationTimer and short cycle patterns.

In summary, in any configuration, if there are multiple, a collection may be taken, or the onDurationTimer and short cycle pattern corresponding to at least one cell corresponding to the drxinactivtytimer, or at least one numerology, or at least one bandwidth part.

As shown in fig. 4, for a state diagram of the terminal device provided in the present application, taking DRX parameter as On Duration and configuration type as Numerology as an example, fig. 4 describes a state of the terminal device when a set is taken for an onDurationTimer, where the terminal device is in an active period in all On Duration intervals.

In another case, if there are multiple drxshortcycletimers, only the drxShortCycleTimer corresponding to the drxshortivytimer, or at least one numerology, or at least one bandwidth part is started or restarted, and in this case, the application of the short cycle pattern and the onDurationTimer is the same as the application of the single drxShortCycleTimer, and specific parameters may be described in the foregoing description, and details are not repeated here.

In another implementation manner, if there are multiple drxshortcycletimers, all the drxshortcycletimers are started or restarted, and in this case, the application of the short cycle pattern and the onDurationTimer is the same as the application when there is only one drxShortCycleTimer, and the specific parameters may be described in the foregoing description, and are not described herein again.

For the long DRX cycle, the same implementation manner as the short DRX cycle may be provided, and reference may be specifically made to the above description, which is not described herein again.

For drxrensissationtimer, if there is one drxrensissationtimer, the drxrensissationtimer is used.

In another implementation, if there are multiple drxransmissiontimers, drxransmissiontimer corresponding to at least one cell, or at least one numerology, or at least one bandwidth part receiving the PDCCH is started, and during the operation of the drxransmissiontimer, only the PDCCH corresponding to the at least one cell, or at least one numerology, or at least one bandwidth part is monitored.

In another implementation, if there are multiple drx retransmission timers, at least one cell receiving a PDCCH, or at least one numerology, or at least one drx retransmission timer corresponding to a bandwidth part is started to monitor PDCCHs corresponding to all cells, or numerology, or bandwidth part during the drx retransmission timer operation.

In another implementation, if there are multiple drxransmissiontimers, all drxransmissiontimers are started, and the state of the terminal device takes the collection of all drxransmissiontimers.

For drxulransmissiontimer, the same implementation manner as that of drxurransmissiontimer may be provided, and reference may be specifically made to the above description, which is not repeated herein.

In particular implementations, for each DRX parameter, the base station may configure one or more of the DRX parameters and indicate which one or more of the parameters are active.

Or, in another implementation, after configuring one or more DRX parameters, the base station may indicate some of the DRX parameters through the MAC CE or the PDCCH to indicate the activated DRX parameters. For example, the base station may indicate which DRX parameters are activated by carrying a bitmap (bitmap) through the MAC CE or the PDCCH, one bitmap may be used to indicate one DRX parameter, and one bit in the bitmap is used to indicate whether to activate a parameter corresponding to the bit, for example, when the bit is 1, activation is indicated, and when the bit is 0, deactivation is indicated.

Alternatively, the base station may carry an index (index) of the DRX parameter through the MAC CE or PDCCH and indicate which DRX parameter to activate with the corresponding on/off indication information. The DRX parameter index herein may be an index allocated to each DRX parameter when the base station configures the DRX parameter, or, if the DRX parameter is bound to an air interface format, the DRX parameter index may also be an air interface format identifier, for example, if the DRX parameter is bound to a cell, the index of the DRX parameter may be a cell identifier, if the DRX parameter is bound to a bandwidth part, the index of the DRX parameter may be a bandwidth part identifier, and if the DRX parameter is bound to numerology, the index of the DRX parameter may be a numerology identifier. In summary, a corresponding DRX parameter or set of DRX parameters can be found through this index.

In case of deactivating multiple parameters at a time or directly deactivating a set of DRX configurations, the terminal device stops all independent timers of the deactivated DRX parameters after receiving the MAC CE or PDCCH indicating deactivation, and if some timers are common, the terminal device cannot stop.

For the timing units of the various timers in the present application, in one possible implementation, the timing may be performed according to a shortest Transmission Time Interval (TTI). In another possible implementation manner, the TTIs corresponding to the PDCCH, PDSCH and PUSCH used may be clocked according to a timer. In another possible implementation manner, the timing may be performed according to a TTI corresponding to at least one cell, or at least one numerology, or at least one bandwidth part corresponding to the DRX parameter. In another possible implementation manner, it may also be that the base station directly indicates the timing unit used by the DRX parameter when configuring the DRX parameter.

For HARQ RTT timer and UL HARQ RTT timer in LTE, in the application, in an implementation mode, HARQ RTT timer and UL HARQ RTT timer are still reserved and are configurable, and further, HARQ RTT timer and UL HARQ RTT timer can be set to be 0. That is, the terminal device starts drxrensmissiontimer or drxulrensmissiontimer immediately after receiving the PDCCH if decoding is not successful.

In an implementation manner, in an embodiment of the present application, some DRX parameters are configured with a sleep interval (mask pattern), and during the operation period of an independent timer of the DRX parameter, the terminal device does not monitor a time-frequency region indicated by the mask pattern corresponding to the DRX parameter. For example, referring to fig. 3(b), if the mask pattern interval can be added in the OnDuration interval of the long DRX cycle, the terminal device is in the sleep state in the mask pattern interval in the OnDuration interval, and further power is saved for the terminal device.

In the embodiment of the present application, the communication apparatus may be divided into the functional modules according to the method example, for example, each functional module may be divided according to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be realized in a hardware mode, and can also be realized in a software functional module mode. It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the division of the module is schematic, and is only one logic function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation.

For example, in the case of dividing each functional module by corresponding functions, fig. 6 shows a possible structural schematic diagram of the communication apparatus in the above embodiment, and the apparatus 600 may be a terminal device or a base station in the above embodiment. The apparatus 600 includes a processing unit 601 and a transceiver 602. The transceiver unit 602 is configured to send and receive signals to and from the processing unit 601.

When the apparatus 600 is a terminal device, the transceiver unit 602 is configured to receive at least one DRX parameter sent by a base station, where the at least one DRX parameter is configured according to at least one of different configuration types, where the configuration types include a logical channel, a bearer, and an air interface format;

a processing unit 601, configured to monitor at least one downlink control channel according to at least one DRX parameter.

In one possible design, the receiving unit is further configured to receive indication information sent by the base station, where the indication information is used to indicate an active DRX parameter of the at least one DRX parameter;

the processing unit 601 is specifically configured to:

and monitoring at least one downlink control channel according to the activated DRX parameters.

In one possible design, the processing unit 601 is further configured to:

determining DRX parameters corresponding to at least one configuration type according to the monitored at least one configuration type corresponding to the downlink control channel, wherein the at least one configuration type comprises the configuration type of the downlink control channel monitored in different configuration types;

and monitoring a downlink control channel according to the DRX parameters corresponding to the at least one configuration type.

In one possible design, the processing unit 601 is further configured to:

if the transmission indication is monitored on the first downlink control channel in the at least one downlink control channel, continuing to monitor on the first downlink control channel until receiving downlink control signaling for indicating retransmission or continuing to monitor the timer of the first downlink control channel is overtime.

In one possible design, the time unit of the at least one DRX parameter is a time unit of an air interface format corresponding to the at least one DRX parameter.

In one possible design, the air interface format may include some or all of cell, bandwidth, numerology.

In one possible design, a computer-readable storage medium has stored therein instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 7.

When the apparatus 600 is a base station, the transceiver unit 602 sends at least one DRX parameter to a terminal device, where the at least one DRX parameter is configured according to at least one of different configuration types, where the configuration types include a logical channel, a bearer, and an air interface format.

In one possible design, the at least one DRX parameter may be used for the terminal device to monitor at least one downlink control channel according to the at least one DRX parameter.

In the present embodiment, the apparatus is presented in a form in which the respective functional modules are divided corresponding to the respective functions, or in a form in which the respective functional modules are divided in an integrated manner. A "module" as used herein may refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and/or other devices that provide the described functionality. In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the form shown in fig. 2 may be used to implement the communication device 600. For example, the processing unit 601 and the transceiver unit 602 in fig. 6 may be implemented by the processor 21 (and/or the processor 28) and the memory 23 in fig. 2, and specifically, the processing unit 601 and the transceiver unit 602 may be executed by the processor 21 (and/or the processor 28) calling an application program code stored in the memory 23, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

The specific implementation manner and the advantageous effects of the above device embodiment correspond to those of the method embodiment, and the related descriptions of the participating method embodiments are provided.

Embodiments of the present application further provide a computer storage medium storing computer software instructions for the communication device shown in fig. 2 and 6, which includes program code designed to perform the method embodiments. By executing the stored program code, power saving of the terminal device can be achieved.

The embodiment of the application also provides a computer program product. The computer program product comprises computer software instructions which can be loaded by a processor for implementing the method in the above-described method embodiments.

An embodiment of the present application further provides a chip, where the chip includes a processor and a transceiver component, and optionally further includes a storage unit, and is configured to execute the method according to the foregoing embodiment of the present application.

While the present application has been described in connection with various embodiments, other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed application, from a review of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the word "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, embodiments of the present application may be provided as a method, apparatus (device), or computer program product. Accordingly, this application may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a "module" or "system. Furthermore, the present application may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, and the like) having computer-usable program code embodied therein. A computer program stored/distributed on a suitable medium supplied together with or as part of other hardware, may also take other distributed forms, such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless telecommunication systems.

The present application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (devices) and computer program products according to embodiments of the application. It will be understood that each flow and/or block of the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and/or blocks in the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

Although the present application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments thereof, it will be evident that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. Accordingly, the specification and figures are merely exemplary of the present application as defined in the appended claims and are intended to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of the present application. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made in the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. Thus, if such modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is intended to include such modifications and variations as well.

Claims

1. A method of communication, the method comprising:

the method comprises the steps that terminal equipment receives at least one Discontinuous Reception (DRX) parameter sent by wireless access equipment, the at least one DRX parameter is configured according to at least one of different configuration types, the configuration types comprise a logic channel, a bearer and an air interface format, the air interface format comprises part or all of a cell, a bandwidth and numerology, and the time unit of the at least one DRX parameter is the time unit of the air interface format corresponding to the at least one DRX parameter;

and the terminal equipment monitors at least one downlink control channel according to the at least one DRX parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one DRX parameter is bound to numerology, and wherein any DRX parameter of the at least one DRX parameter is deactivated or released when numerology corresponding to the any DRX parameter is removed or deactivated.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the terminal equipment receives indication information sent by the wireless access equipment, wherein the indication information is used for indicating activated DRX parameters in the at least one DRX parameter;

the terminal device monitors at least one control channel according to the DRX parameters, and the method comprises the following steps:

and the terminal equipment monitors at least one downlink control channel according to the activated DRX parameters.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the terminal equipment determines DRX parameters corresponding to at least one configuration type according to the monitored at least one configuration type corresponding to the downlink control channel, wherein the at least one configuration type comprises the configuration type of the downlink control channel monitored in different configuration types;

the terminal device monitors at least one downlink control channel according to the at least one DRX parameter, and the method comprises the following steps:

and the terminal equipment monitors a downlink control channel according to the DRX parameter corresponding to the at least one configuration type.

5. The method of any of claims 1 to 4, further comprising:

and if the terminal equipment monitors a transmission instruction on a first downlink control channel in the at least one downlink control channel, the terminal equipment continues to monitor on the first downlink control channel.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the at least one DRX parameter comprises part or all of a first timer, at least one short cycle parameter, a second timer corresponding to each of the at least one short cycle parameter, a third timer corresponding to each of the at least one short cycle parameter, at least one long cycle parameter, a fourth timer, a fifth timer and a sixth timer corresponding to each of the at least one long cycle parameter;

7. A terminal device, comprising:

a transceiver unit, configured to receive at least one DRX parameter sent by a wireless access device, where the at least one DRX parameter is configured according to at least one of different configuration types, where the configuration type includes a logical channel, a bearer, and an air interface format, the air interface format includes part or all of a cell, a bandwidth, and a numerology, and a time unit of the at least one DRX parameter is a time unit of the air interface format corresponding to the at least one DRX parameter;

and the processing unit is used for monitoring at least one downlink control channel according to the at least one DRX parameter.

8. The terminal device of claim 7, wherein the at least one DRX parameter is bound to numerology, and wherein any DRX parameter of the at least one DRX parameter is deactivated or released when numerology corresponding to the any DRX parameter is removed or deactivated.

9. The terminal device according to claim 7, further comprising:

the receiving unit is further configured to receive indication information sent by the wireless access device, where the indication information is used to indicate an activated DRX parameter of the at least one DRX parameter;

the processing unit is specifically configured to:

10. The terminal device of claim 7, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

determining DRX parameters corresponding to at least one configuration type according to at least one monitored configuration type corresponding to a downlink control channel, wherein the at least one configuration type comprises the configuration type of the downlink control channel monitored in different configuration types;

11. The terminal device according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

and if the transmission indication is monitored on a first downlink control channel in the at least one downlink control channel, continuing to monitor on the first downlink control channel.

12. The terminal device according to any of claims 7 to 10,

13. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 6.