# US 2021/0345248 A1 · Communication method and apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0345248 A1 - Document ID: US20210345248A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/371,654 - Filed: 2021-07-09 - Published: 2021-11-04 - Earliest claimed: 2019-01-11 - Assignees: Huaia/E1 Technologies Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Lixia XUE - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210345248A1 ## CPC - H04W 52/0229: {where the received signal is a wanted signal} - H04W 72/21: in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network - H04L 1/0026: {Transmission of channel quality indication} - H04L 1/0035: {evaluation of received explicit signalling} - H04L 1/1812: Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ] - H04W 72/0446: Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames - H04W 72/23: in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal - H04L 5/0055: {Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK (for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861)} - H04W 52/0216: {using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame} - H04W 76/28: Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX] - Y02D 30/70: in wireless communication networks - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE ## Abstract This application discloses a communication method and apparatus. In embodiments of this application, when a terminal device in a sleep state needs to send a scheduling request or a negative acknowledgement (NACK), the terminal device enters a wake-up state. The terminal device can receive, within a sleep time period, a physical downlink control channel that schedules a resource for the scheduling request or the NACK, without waiting for the sleep time period to end before receiving the physical downlink control channel. Therefore, power consumption of the terminal device is reduced, while it is still ensured that certain physical downlink control channel is received as early as possible, thereby reducing a delay of the physical downlink control channel. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A communication method, comprising: sending, by a terminal device, first information to a network device within a sleep time period of the terminal device, wherein the first information is a scheduling request or a negative acknowledgment NACK); and after sending the first information, monitoring a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) within a first time period. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the first time period is: a time period starting from a symbol next to a last symbol occupied by the first information to an end of the sleep time period; or a time period starting from a slot next to a slot occupied by the first information to an end of the sleep time period. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the first information is the NACK, and the NACK corresponds to a first hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process; and the first time period is a time period starting from a time at which a downlink retransmission timer is enabled to the end of the sleep time period. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the first time period is: a time period starting from a symbol next to the last symbol occupied by the first information to a time that is within the sleep time period and at which the terminal device detects a first PDCCH from the network device; or a time period starting from a slot next to a slot occupied by the first information to a time that is within the sleep time period and at which the first PDCCH from the network device is detected. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the first information is the NACK, and the NACK corresponds to a first hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process; and the first time period is: a timing period of a downlink retransmission timer; or a time period starting from a time at which a downlink retransmission timer is enabled to a time at which a first PDCCH from the network device is detected. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the first information is the NACK, the NACK corresponds to the first HARQ process, and the first PDCCH carries a retransmission scheduling indication of the first HARQ process; wherein before the sending, by a terminal device, first information to a network device, the method further comprises: receiving, by the terminal device, a second PDCCH used to schedule a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), wherein the PDSCH corresponds to the first HARQ process; and the sending, by a terminal device, first information to a network device comprises: when the terminal device fails to decode the PDSCH, sending, by the terminal device, the NACK to the network device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, wherein the terminal device is in the sleep state within a second time period before the downlink retransmission timer is enabled, wherein the second time period is a timing period of a downlink HARQ round trip time timer, and the downlink retransmission timer and the downlink HARQ round trip time timer correspond to the first HARQ process. ### Claim 8 A communication method, comprising: sending sleep indication information to a terminal device, wherein the sleep indication information is used to instruct the terminal device to enter a sleep state; after sending the sleep indication information to the terminal device, and when the terminal device is in a sleep state during a sleep time period, receiving, by a network device, first information from the terminal device; and sending, to the terminal device, a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) corresponding to the first information. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, wherein the sending, to the terminal device, a first PDCCH corresponding to the first information comprises: sending the first PDCCH to the terminal device within the sleep time period, or sending the first PDCCH to the terminal device after the sleep time period. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, wherein the first information is a NACK, the NACK corresponds to a first HARQ process, and the first PDCCH carries a retransmission scheduling indication of the first HARQ process; before the receiving, by a network device, first information from the terminal device, the method further comprises: sending, by the network device to the terminal device, a second PDCCH used to schedule a PDSCH, wherein the PDSCH corresponds to the first HARQ process; and the receiving, by a network device, first information from the terminal device comprises: when the terminal device fails to decode the PDSCH, receiving, by the network device, the NACK. ### Claim 11 A communication apparatus, comprising: a transceiver, configured to send first information to a network device within a sleep time period, wherein the first information is a scheduling request or a negative acknowledgment (NACK); and a processor, configured to: after the transceiver sends the first information, monitor a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) within a first time period. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first time period is: a time period starting from a symbol next to the last symbol occupied by the first information to an end of the sleep time period; or a time period starting from a slot next to a slot occupied by the first information to an end of the sleep time period. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first information is the NACK, and the NACK corresponds to a first hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process; and the first time period is a time period starting from a time at which a downlink retransmission timer is enabled to the end of the sleep time period. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first time period is: a time period starting from a symbol next to the last symbol occupied by the first information to a time that is within the sleep time period and at which the processor detects a first PDCCH from the network device; or a time period starting from a slot next to a slot occupied by the first information to a time that is within the sleep time period and at which the processor detects a first PDCCH from the network device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first information is the NACK, and the NACK corresponds to a first hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process; and the first time period is: a timing period of a downlink retransmission timer; or a time period starting from a time at which a downlink retransmission timer is enabled to a time at which a first PDCCH from the network device is detected. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first information is the NACK, the NACK corresponds to the first HARQ process, and the first PDCCH carries a retransmission scheduling indication of the first HARQ process; the transceiver is further configured to receive a second PDCCH used to schedule a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), wherein the PDSCH corresponds to the first HARQ process; and the transceiver is further configured to: when the processor fails to decode the PDSCH, send the NACK to the network device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the apparatus is the network device or the apparatus is a component in the network device, and the network device is in a sleep state within a second time period before the downlink retransmission timer is enabled, wherein the second time period is a timing period of a downlink HARQ round trip time timer, and the downlink retransmission timer and the downlink HARQ round trip time timer correspond to the first HARQ process. ### Claim 18 A communication apparatus, comprising: a transceiver, configured to send sleep indication information to a terminal device, wherein the sleep indication information is used to indicate to the terminal device to enter a sleep state; the transceiver is further configured to: after the transceiver sends the sleep indication information to the terminal device, and when the terminal device is in a sleep state during a sleep time period, receive first information from the terminal device; and the transceiver is further configured to send, to the terminal device, a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) corresponding to the first information. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the transceiver is further configured to: send the first PDCCH to the terminal device within the sleep time period, or send the first PDCCH to the terminal device after the sleep time period. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the first information is a NACK, the NACK corresponds to a first HARQ process, and the first PDCCH carries a retransmission scheduling indication of the first HARQ process; the transceiver is further configured to send, to the terminal device, a second PDCCH used to schedule a PDSCH, wherein the PDSCH corresponds to the first HARQ process; and the transceiver is further configured to: when the terminal device fails to decode the PDSCH, receive the NACK.