CN106612559B

CN106612559B - Time slot scheduling method and device

Info

Publication number: CN106612559B
Application number: CN201510708917.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 史桢宇; 王艺; 黄磊
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2015-10-27
Filing date: 2015-10-27
Publication date: 2019-12-24
Anticipated expiration: 2035-10-27
Also published as: WO2017071552A1; CN106612559A

Abstract

The invention discloses a time slot scheduling method and a time slot scheduling device, and belongs to the field of communication. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring the data length of data, wherein a sending end or a receiving end of the data is UE; distributing continuous N time slots for the data according to the data length; configuring a switching period for the last time slot of the N time slots, and not configuring a switching period for at least one time slot of the rest time slots, wherein the switching period is used for switching beams corresponding to the UE; and the UE is used for determining the first format according to the notification and correspondingly processing the data on the N time slots according to the first format. The invention solves the problem of resource waste caused by reserving the switching time interval for all the time slots, and achieves the effect of saving resources.

Description

Time slot scheduling method and device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a method and an apparatus for scheduling a time slot.

Background

With the increasing requirements for data transmission rate, communication quality and the like, the existing frequency band for cellular communication has become very crowded, and on the millimeter wave frequency band of 6-300GHz, a large amount of spectrum resources are not allocated for use, so that the millimeter wave frequency band can be introduced into cellular communication. The high path loss in the millimeter-wave band can be compensated by beam-forming (beam-forming) techniques.

Based on the beamforming technology, after a base station completes data transmission with a User Equipment (UE) 1 through a beam 1, if data transmission with a UE2 through a beam 2 is required, the beam 1 needs to be switched to the beam 2.

To be compatible with the frame structure of cellular communication, one data frame (frame) in the mmwave includes 10 subframes (subframes), one subframe includes 10 slots (slots), each slot is used as one transmission unit, and one UE occupies at least one slot. Wherein the slot includes a control period for transmitting control information, a data period for transmitting data, and a switching period for switching beams.

Since the switching from the previous time slot to the next time slot does not necessarily cause the beam switching, reserving the beam switching period for each time slot causes resource waste.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to solve the problem of resource waste caused by reserving switching periods for all time slots, embodiments of the present invention provide a time slot scheduling method and apparatus. The technical scheme is as follows:

in a first aspect, a method for scheduling a timeslot is provided, where the method includes: after acquiring the data length of the data, the base station allocates N continuous time slots for the data according to the data length, and configures a first format for the N time slots; sending a notification of the N timeslots to the UE; in a first possible implementation manner, the base station sends data on the N time slots according to the first format, and at this time, the UE determines the first format according to the notification, and receives data on the N time slots in the first format; or, in a second possible implementation manner, the UE determines the first format according to the notification, transmits data on the N time slots according to the first format, and the base station receives the data on the N time slots in the first format. The process of configuring the first format by the base station comprises the following steps: the base station configures a switching period for the last time slot of the N time slots, and does not configure a switching period for at least one time slot of the rest time slots, wherein the switching period is used for switching beams corresponding to the UE.

When the data to be transmitted between the base station and the UE occupy a plurality of time slots, the switching period can be configured for the last time slot, and the switching period is not configured for at least one of the other time slots, so that the switching period in the last time slot can be utilized to ensure that the data is smoothly switched to the next beam to continue to be transmitted after the data transmission is finished; the switching periods of the remaining timeslots may also be used to transmit data or other information to improve the resource utilization of the timeslots.

In the scheme provided in the first aspect, the method for configuring the first format for N time slots by the base station includes the following two ways.

In a first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the base station configures a switching period for a last time slot of the N time slots, and does not configure a switching period for at least one time slot of the remaining time slots, where the switching period is used to switch a beam corresponding to the UE; and configuring a control time interval for the first time slot in the N time slots, and not configuring the control time interval for at least one time slot in the rest time slots, wherein the control time interval is used for sending or receiving control information.

Because the control information transmitted in the process of one-time data transmission is the same, a control time interval can be configured for the first time slot, and a control time interval is not configured for at least one of the rest time slots, so that the control time interval in the first time slot can be utilized to ensure that the receiving parameters are configured according to the control information to correctly receive data; the control periods of the remaining timeslots may also be used to transmit data or other information to improve the resource utilization of the timeslots.

It should be added that, when the base station sends data to the UE, the base station may also carry the timeslot number N in the control information of the N timeslots, so as to avoid the problem that the base station notifies the UE of the timeslot number N through additional notification information, which causes signaling waste, and achieve the effect of saving signaling.

In a second possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the base station configures a control period for each of the N time slots, where the control period is used to transmit or receive control information, and the control information includes a switching flag bit; configuring a switching period for the last time slot in the N time slots, and not configuring the switching period for at least one time slot in the rest time slots; setting the switching flag bit of the time slot configured with the switching time interval as a first value, and setting the switching flag bit of the time slot not configured with the switching time interval as a second value.

When data needing to be transmitted between a base station and UE occupy a plurality of time slots, a switching period can be configured for the last time slot, the switching period is not configured for at least one time slot in the other time slots, the switching flag bit of the time slot configured with the switching period is set to be a first value, and the switching flag bit of the time slot not configured with the switching period is set to be a second value, so that the base station can determine whether the time slot is configured with the switching period according to the value of the switching flag bit, the switching period in the last time slot can be used for ensuring, and the data can be smoothly switched to the next beam to continue to be transmitted after the data transmission is finished; the switching periods of the remaining timeslots may also be used to transmit data or other information to improve the resource utilization of the timeslots.

With reference to any one of the foregoing possible implementation manners, in a third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the base station determines whether a first beam corresponding to the data is the same as a second beam corresponding to next data, and sends indication information to the UE, where the indication information is used to indicate whether the first beam corresponding to the data is the same as the second beam corresponding to the next data; when the first beam is the same as the second beam, the base station configures a second format for the N time slots, and notifies the N time slots to the UE; in a first possible implementation manner, the base station sends data on the N time slots according to the second format, and at this time, the UE determines the second format according to the notification, and correspondingly processes the data on the N time slots in the second format; or, in a second possible implementation manner, the UE determines a second format according to the notification, transmits data in the N time slots according to the second format, and the base station receives the data in the N time slots in the second format. The process of configuring the second format for the N time slots by the base station is as follows: the base station does not configure a switching period for at least one of the N slots.

When the first beam is the same as the second beam, the base station may continue to transmit or receive the next data on the beam, and at this time, a switching period does not need to be configured for the last time slot of the N time slots, and the switching period may be used to transmit data or other information, so as to further improve the resource utilization rate of the time slot.

In a second aspect, a method for scheduling a timeslot is provided, the method including: after a base station acquires the data length of data and allocates N continuous time slots for the data, informing UE of the N time slots, and the UE receiving the notice of the N time slots sent by the base station and determining a first format configured for the N time slots; in a first possible implementation manner, the UE transmits data on the N time slots according to the first format, and at this time, the base station receives data on the N time slots in the first format; or, in a second possible implementation manner, the base station transmits data on the N time slots according to the first format, and at this time, the UE receives data on the N time slots in the first format. The process of determining the first format by the UE is as follows: and the UE determines that the last time slot in the N time slots is configured with a switching period, and at least one time slot in the rest time slots is not configured with the switching period, wherein the switching period is used for switching the beam corresponding to the UE.

In the scheme provided in the second aspect, the method for the UE to determine the first format includes the following two methods.

In a first possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the UE determines that a switching period is configured in a last time slot of the N time slots, and a switching period is not configured in at least one of the remaining time slots, where the switching period is used for switching a beam corresponding to the UE; and determining that a first time slot in the N time slots is configured with a control period, and at least one time slot in the rest time slots is not configured with the control period, wherein the control period is used for transmitting or receiving control information.

It should be added that, when the base station sends data to the UE, the UE may also read the number N of timeslots from the control information of the N timeslots, so as to avoid the problem that the base station notifies the UE of the number N of timeslots through additional notification information, which causes signaling waste, and achieve the effect of saving signaling.

In a second possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the UE determines that each of the N slots is configured with a control period, where the control period is used to transmit or receive control information, and the control information includes a switching flag bit; determining that the last time slot of the N time slots is configured with a switching period, and at least one time slot of the rest time slots is not configured with the switching period; and determining that the switching zone bit of the time slot configured with the switching period is a first numerical value, and the switching zone bit of the time slot not configured with the switching period is a second numerical value.

When data needing to be transmitted between a base station and UE occupy a plurality of time slots, a switching period can be configured for the last time slot, the switching period is not configured for at least one time slot in the other time slots, the switching flag bit of the time slot configured with the switching period is set to be a first value, and the switching flag bit of the time slot not configured with the switching period is set to be a second value, so that the UE can determine whether the time slot is configured with the switching period according to the value of the switching flag bit, the switching period in the last time slot can be used for ensuring, and the data can be smoothly switched to the next beam to continue to be transmitted after the data transmission is finished; the switching periods of the remaining timeslots may also be used to transmit data or other information to improve the resource utilization of the timeslots.

With reference to any one of the foregoing possible implementation manners, in a third possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the UE receives indication information sent by the base station, where the indication information is used to indicate whether a first beam corresponding to data is the same as a second beam corresponding to next data; when the first beam is the same as the second beam, the UE receives a notification of N time slots, and determines a second format configured for the N time slots according to the notification, in a first possible implementation, the UE sends data on the N time slots according to the second format, and at this time, the base station receives the data on the N time slots in the second format; or, in a second possible implementation manner, the base station transmits data on the N time slots according to the second format, and the UE receives data on the N time slots in the second format. Wherein, the process of the UE determining the second format configured for the N slots is: the UE determines that at least one of the N slots is not configured with a switching period.

In a third aspect, a time slot scheduling apparatus is provided, where the time slot scheduling apparatus may be applied in a base station, and the time slot scheduling apparatus is configured to implement the time slot scheduling method according to the first aspect.

In a fourth aspect, a time slot scheduling apparatus is provided, where the time slot scheduling apparatus may be applied in a UE, and the time slot scheduling apparatus is configured to implement the time slot scheduling method according to the second aspect.

In a fifth aspect, a time slot scheduling apparatus is provided, which can be applied in a base station. In particular, the time slot scheduler may include a bus, and a processor, a memory, a receiver, and a transmitter that communicate over the bus. Wherein the memory is configured to store one or more instructions configured to be executed by the processor, thereby implementing the time slot scheduling method according to the first aspect.

In a sixth aspect, a time slot scheduler is provided, which can be applied in a UE. In particular, the time slot scheduler may include a bus, and a processor, a memory, a receiver, and a transmitter that communicate over the bus. Wherein the memory is configured to store one or more instructions configured to be executed by the processor, thereby implementing the time slot scheduling method according to the second aspect.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an implementation environment to which various embodiments of the present invention relate;

fig. 2 is a flowchart of a method for scheduling time slots according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3A is a flowchart of a method for scheduling time slots according to another embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3B is a schematic diagram of a first configuration of a timeslot provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4A is a flowchart of a method for scheduling time slots according to another embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4B is a diagram illustrating a second configuration of a timeslot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a flowchart of a method for scheduling time slots according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a flowchart of a method of scheduling time slots according to another embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a flowchart of a method of scheduling time slots according to another embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a timeslot scheduling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of another timeslot scheduling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a timeslot scheduling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of another timeslot scheduling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a timeslot scheduling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more apparent, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to fig. 1, a schematic diagram of an implementation environment according to various embodiments of the present invention is shown, where the implementation environment includes a base station 110 and a UE 120. Among other things, the UE 120 may be an electronic device having a communication module and may communicate with the base station 110. For example, the UE 120 may be a mobile phone, a computer, a tablet computer, etc., and the embodiment is not limited thereto.

Referring to fig. 2, a flowchart of a method for scheduling a timeslot according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, taking an example that a base station sends data to a UE, the time slot scheduling method may include:

in step 201, the base station obtains the data length of the data.

Step 202, the base station allocates continuous N time slots for the data according to the data length, wherein N is larger than 1.

Step 203, the base station configures a switching period for the last time slot of the N time slots, and does not configure a switching period for at least one time slot of the remaining time slots, where the switching period is used for switching beams corresponding to the UE.

Step 204, the base station sends a notification of the N time slots to the UE, and sends data on the N time slots according to the first format configured for the N time slots.

In step 205, the UE receives a notification of consecutive N slots sent by the base station.

In step 206, the UE determines that the last time slot of the N time slots is configured with the switching period, and at least one of the remaining time slots is not configured with the switching period.

In step 207, the UE receives data over the N slots according to the determined first format of the N slots.

To sum up, the time slot scheduling method provided in the embodiment of the present invention configures a switching period for the last time slot of N time slots, and does not configure a switching period for at least one time slot of the remaining time slots, so that when a plurality of time slots are occupied by data to be transmitted between a base station and a UE, the switching period is configured for the last time slot, and the switching period is not configured for at least one time slot of the remaining time slots, which can be ensured by using the switching period in the last time slot, and smoothly switch to the next beam to continue transmitting data after the data transmission is finished; the switching periods of the remaining timeslots may also be used to transmit data or other information to improve the resource utilization of the timeslots.

Referring to fig. 3A, a flowchart of a method for scheduling time slots according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, taking an example that a base station sends data to a UE, the time slot scheduling method may include:

step 301, the base station obtains the data length of the data.

The data in this embodiment refers to data to be transmitted by the base station to the UE, where the base station serves as a transmitting end and the UE serves as a receiving end.

Since each time slot can only transmit data of a fixed length, the base station needs to acquire the data length of the data and determine the number of allocated time slots according to the data length. When acquiring the data length, the base station caches the data, and therefore, the acquiring the data length of the data includes: the data length of the data is calculated.

Step 302, the base station allocates continuous N time slots for the data according to the data length, wherein N is larger than 1.

The technology for allocating consecutive N time slots to data by a base station according to a data length is well-established, and details are not described in this embodiment.

Step 303, the base station determines whether the first beam corresponding to the data is the same as the second beam corresponding to the next data, and sends indication information to the UE, where the indication information is used to indicate whether the first beam corresponding to the data is the same as the second beam corresponding to the next data; when the first beam is different from the second beam, performing step 304; when the first beam is the same as the second beam, step 310 is performed.

The base station may need to transmit data to multiple UEs, and the beam corresponding to the data transmitted to each UE may be the same or different. In this embodiment, a beam corresponding to when the base station transmits data to the UE is referred to as a first beam, and a beam corresponding to when the base station transmits next data to the next UE is referred to as a second beam. When the first beam is different from the second beam, and the base station needs to switch the first beam to the second beam when the transmission of the data is finished, and transmit the next data on the second beam, at this time, step 304 is executed; when the first beam is the same as the second beam, the base station may transmit the next data directly on the first beam, at which point step 310 is performed. The technology for the base station to obtain the beam corresponding to the transmitted data is already mature, and details are not described in this embodiment.

It should be added that, after obtaining the determination result, the base station needs to send the determination result as indication information to the UE, and the UE determines whether the first beam is the same as the second beam according to the indication information.

Step 304, the base station configures a switching period for the last time slot of the N time slots, and does not configure a switching period for at least one of the other time slots, wherein the switching period is used for switching beams corresponding to the UE; a control period is configured for a first time slot of the N time slots, and a control period is not configured for at least one time slot of the rest time slots, wherein the control period is used for transmitting or receiving control information.

Since the first beam is different from the second beam, it is necessary to configure a switching period for the last slot of the N slots so that the base station can switch beams within the switching period. For the remaining N-1 slots, since the base station does not need to switch beams in these slots, a switching period may not be configured for at least one of these slots, resulting in the first format. At this time, the period originally used for beam switching may be configured to transmit data or other information, thereby improving resource utilization of the slot.

In general, the base station configures a control period for the timeslot, so as to transmit control information within the control period, where the control information includes a reception parameter such as a code modulation scheme, and after receiving the control information, the UE reads the reception parameter from the control information, and receives data with the reception parameter.

When the base station needs to send a beam to the UE to occupy multiple time slots, since the control information of each time slot is the same, a control period may be configured for a first time slot of the N time slots, and after receiving the control information of the first time slot, the UE receives subsequent data with the receiving parameters carried in the control information. For the remaining N-1 time slots, no control period may be configured for at least one of the time slots. At this time, the period originally used for transmitting the control information may be configured to transmit data or other information, thereby further improving the resource utilization of the time slot.

Suppose that 3 slots are occupied by data sent by the base station to the UE1, and 1 slot is occupied by data sent by the base station to the UE2, please refer to a first configuration diagram of slots shown in fig. 3B, the upper diagram in fig. 3B is N slots of a first format configured by the base station in the prior art, where the first formats of slot #0, slot #1, slot #2, and slot #3 are the same, and each slot includes a control period, a data period, and a switching period. Fig. 3B is a lower diagram of a first format of N slots configured by the base station in this embodiment, where slot #0 includes a control period and a data period, and does not include a switching period; slot #1 includes a data period, excluding a control period and a switching period; slot #2 includes a data period and a switching period, excluding a control period; slot #3 includes a control period, a data period, and a switching period.

Step 305, the base station sends a notification of the N time slots to the UE and sends data over the N time slots according to a first format configured for the N time slots.

In this embodiment, the base station may notify the UE of the first format configured for N timeslots at a time. Since the first format is notified by using more transmission resources, the base station may also agree with the UE in advance for saving resources, and the UE may determine the first format according to the number N of time slots and the configuration policy by only notifying the number N of time slots to the UE each time.

In a possible implementation manner, the base station may send notification information carrying the number N of timeslots to the UE before sending data using N timeslots, and the UE reads the number N of timeslots. Since signaling is consumed to send additional notification information, in another possible implementation, the base station may send the number of slots N when it sends data using N slots.

Specifically, sending a notification of N time slots to the UE, and sending data over the N time slots according to a first format configured for the N time slots, includes: adding the number N of the time slots into the control information of the N time slots, sending the control information in the control period of the N time slots, sending data in the data period of the N time slots, stopping sending the data in the switching period of the N time slots, and switching the beam corresponding to the UE.

It should be noted that, in step 303, the base station needs to transmit instruction information to the UE. In one possible implementation, the base station may send the indication information to the UE before sending data using N slots. Since signaling is consumed for sending the additional indication information, in another possible implementation manner, the base station may send the indication information to the UE while carrying the indication information in the control information when sending data using N timeslots.

In step 306, the UE receives a notification of consecutive N time slots sent by the base station.

When the base station sends notification information carrying the time slot number N to the UE, the UE receives the notification information and reads the time slot number N from the notification information. When the base station adds the time slot number N to the control information and sends the control information to the UE, the method for receiving the notice of the continuous N time slots sent by the base station comprises the following steps: the number of slots N is read from the control information of the N slots.

Step 307, the UE receives indication information sent by the base station, where the indication information is used to indicate whether a first beam corresponding to the data is the same as a second beam corresponding to the next data; when the first beam is different from the second beam, execute step 308; when the first beam is the same as the second beam, step 311 is performed.

And when the base station sends the indication information to the UE, the UE receives the indication information. When the base station adds the indication information into the control information and sends the control information to the UE, the UE reads the indication information from the control information of the N time slots.

Step 308, the UE determines that the last time slot of the N time slots is configured with the switching period, and at least one of the other time slots is not configured with the switching period; and determining that a first time slot in the N time slots is configured with a control period, and at least one time slot in the rest time slots is not configured with the control period, wherein the control period is used for transmitting or receiving control information.

And the first format determined by the UE according to the time slot number N is the same as the first format configured by the base station. Assuming that the configuration policy is to configure a control period for the first time slot and a switching period for the last time slot, when N is 3, it is determined that the first format is the format shown in the lower graph in fig. 3B.

In step 309, the UE receives data over the N slots according to the determined first format of the N slots.

Specifically, receiving data over N time slots according to the determined first format of N time slots includes: and receiving the control information in the control period of the N time slots, receiving the data in the data period of the N time slots, stopping receiving the data in the switching period of the N time slots, and switching the beam corresponding to the UE.

Step 310, the base station does not configure a switching period for at least one of the N time slots, notifies the UE of the N time slots, and transmits data on the N time slots according to a second format configured for the N time slots.

Since the first beam is the same as the second beam, there is no need to configure the switching period for the last slot of the N slots. For the remaining N-1 slots, the base station may not configure a switching period for at least one of the N slots, resulting in the second format, since the base station does not need to switch beams in these slots. Optionally, the base station may configure the control period for a first time slot of the N time slots, and for the remaining N-1 time slots, may configure no control period for at least one of the time slots.

And after the base station obtains the second format of the N time slots according to the configuration strategy configuration, the base station informs the UE of the N time slots and sends data on the N time slots according to the second format configured for the N time slots. The process of notifying the UE of the N timeslots by the base station is described in step 305, and is not described herein again.

Specifically, the process of the base station transmitting data on N time slots according to the second format is the same as the process of transmitting data on N time slots according to the first format, and is not described herein again.

Step 311, the UE receives the notification of the N time slots sent by the base station, determines that at least one time slot of the N time slots is not configured with the switching period, and receives data on the N time slots according to the determined second format of the N time slots.

The process of the UE receiving the notification of the N timeslots is described in step 306, and is not described herein again.

And the second format determined by the UE according to the time slot number N is the same as the second format configured by the base station. Assuming that the configuration policy is to configure a control period for the first slot, when N is 3, it is determined that slot #0 includes the control period and the data period, and does not include the switching period, and slots #1 and #2 each include only the data period, and do not include the control period and the switching period.

Specifically, the process of receiving data on N time slots by the UE according to the second format is the same as the process of receiving data on N time slots according to the first format, and is not described herein again.

In summary, in the time slot scheduling method provided in the embodiment of the present invention, by configuring the switching period for the last time slot of the N time slots and not configuring the switching period for at least one time slot of the remaining time slots, when the data to be transmitted between the base station and the UE occupies multiple time slots, the switching period is configured for the last time slot, and the switching period is not configured for at least one time slot of the remaining time slots, which can be ensured by using the switching period in the last time slot, and smoothly switch to the next beam to continue to transmit data after the data transmission is finished; the switching periods of the remaining timeslots may also be used to transmit data or other information to improve the resource utilization of the timeslots.

In addition, the control time interval is configured for the first time slot, and the control time interval is not configured for at least one time slot in the rest time slots, so that the control time interval in the first time slot can be utilized to ensure that the receiving parameters are configured according to the control information to correctly receive the data; the control periods of the remaining timeslots may also be used to transmit data or other information to improve the resource utilization of the timeslots.

In addition, the control information of the N time slots carries the time slot number N, so that the problem that the base station informs the UE of the time slot number N through extra informing information to cause signaling waste is avoided, and the effect of saving signaling is achieved.

In addition, when the first beam is the same as the second beam, the base station may continue to transmit or receive the next data on the beam, and at this time, a switching period does not need to be configured for the last time slot of the N time slots, and the switching period may be used to transmit data or other information, so as to further improve the resource utilization rate of the time slot.

Referring to fig. 4A, a flowchart of a method for scheduling time slots according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, taking an example that a base station sends data to a UE, the time slot scheduling method may include:

the steps 401 through 403 are the same as the steps 301 through 303, and are not described herein again.

Step 404, the base station configures a control time period for each time slot of the N time slots, where the control time period is used to send or receive control information, and the control information includes a switching flag bit; configuring a switching period for the last time slot in the N time slots, and not configuring the switching period for at least one time slot in the rest time slots; setting the switching flag bit of the time slot configured with the switching time interval as a first value, and setting the switching flag bit of the time slot not configured with the switching time interval as a second value.

In this embodiment, the base station may configure a control period for each timeslot, and configure a switching flag bit in each control information, where the switching flag bit is used to indicate whether the timeslot includes a switching period. For example, when the switching flag bit is a first value, it indicates that the timeslot is configured with a switching period; when the switching flag bit is the second value, indicating that the time slot is not configured with the switching period. In the first format, the last time slot of the N time slots is configured with the switching period, and at least one of the remaining time slots is not configured with the switching period, so that the switching flag bit of the last time slot is the first value. The first value and the second value may be set and modified by themselves, and this embodiment is not limited. For example, the first value is 0, the second value is 1, and so on.

Assuming that 3 slots are occupied by data transmitted by the base station to the UE1, and 1 slot is occupied by data transmitted by the base station to the UE2, please refer to a second configuration diagram of slots shown in fig. 4B, the upper diagram in fig. 4B is N slots of a first format configured by the base station in the prior art, where the first formats of slot #0, slot #1, slot #2, and slot #3 are the same, and each slot includes a control period, a data period, and a switching period. Fig. 4B is a lower diagram of a first format of N slots configured by the base station in this embodiment, where slot #0 includes a control period and a data period, does not include a switching period, and a value of a switching flag bit of the slot #0 is a first value 0; slot #1 comprises a control time interval and a data time interval, does not comprise a switching time interval, and the value of a switching flag bit of the slot #1 is a first value 0; slot #2 comprises a control time interval, a data time interval and a switching time interval, and the value of the switching flag bit is a second value 1; slot #3 includes a control period, a data period, and a switching period, and the value of its switching flag bit is a second value 1.

Step 405, the base station sends a notification of N time slots to the UE, and sends data on the N time slots according to a first format configured for the N time slots.

In this embodiment, the base station needs to notify the UE of the number N of timeslots, so that the UE determines which timeslots the UE needs to receive data. The process of sending the notification of the N time slots to the UE by the base station is described in step 305, and is not described herein again.

Specifically, transmitting data over N time slots according to a first format configured for the N time slots includes: for the time slot with the switching zone bit as the first numerical value, sending control information in the control period of the time slot, sending data in the data period of the time slot, stopping sending data in the switching period of the time slot, and switching the beam corresponding to the UE; and for the time slot with the switching zone bit of the second value, transmitting the control information in the control period of the time slot and transmitting the data in the data period of the time slot.

It should be noted that, in step 403, the base station may not transmit the instruction information to the UE, or may transmit the instruction information to the UE. When the base station sends the indication information to the UE, the sending process is detailed in supplementary description in step 305, which is not described herein again.

The steps 406-407 are the same as the steps 306-307, and are not described herein.

Step 408, the UE determines that each of the N time slots is configured with a control period, where the control period is used to send or receive control information, and the control information includes a switching flag bit; determining that the last time slot of the N time slots is configured with a switching period, and at least one time slot of the rest time slots is not configured with the switching period; and determining that the switching zone bit of the time slot configured with the switching period is a first numerical value, and the switching zone bit of the time slot not configured with the switching period is a second numerical value.

The UE only needs to determine to read the switching flag bit from the control information, and determines whether the time slot is configured with the switching time period according to the switching flag bit, thereby determining the first format.

In step 409, the UE receives data over the N slots according to the determined first format of the N slots.

Specifically, receiving data over N time slots according to the determined first format of N time slots includes: for the time slot with the switching zone bit as the first numerical value, receiving control information in the control period of the time slot, receiving data in the data period of the time slot, stopping receiving the data in the switching period of the time slot, and switching the beam corresponding to the UE; and for the time slot with the switching flag bit of the second value, receiving the control information in the control period of the time slot and receiving the data in the data period of the time slot.

Step 410, the base station does not configure a switching period for at least one of the N time slots, notifies the UE of the N time slots, and transmits data on the N time slots according to a second format configured for the N time slots.

Specifically, the base station does not configure a switching period for at least one of the N time slots, determines that the switching flag bit of the time slot configured with the switching period is a first value, and determines that the switching flag bit of the time slot not configured with the switching period is a second value, thereby obtaining a second format.

In step 411, the UE receives the notification of the N time slots sent by the base station, determines that at least one time slot of the N time slots is not configured with the switching period, and receives data on the N time slots according to the determined second format of the N time slots.

For ease of understanding, still taking N as an example for illustration, slot #0, slot #1, and slot #2 all include a control period and a data period, do not include a switching period, and have a value of the switching flag bit as a first value of 0.

Specifically, the process of receiving data on N time slots by the UE according to the second format is the same as the process of receiving data on N time slots according to the first format, and details are not repeated here.

In summary, in the time slot scheduling method provided in the embodiment of the present invention, by configuring the switching period for the last time slot of the N time slots and not configuring the switching period for at least one time slot of the remaining time slots, when the data to be transmitted between the base station and the UE occupies multiple time slots, the switching period is configured for the last time slot through the switching flag bit, and the switching period is not configured for at least one time slot of the remaining time slots, which can be ensured by using the switching period in the last time slot, and smoothly switch to the next beam to continue to transmit the data after the data transmission is finished; the switching periods of the remaining timeslots may also be used to transmit data or other information to improve the resource utilization of the timeslots.

Referring to fig. 5, a flowchart of a method for scheduling a timeslot according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, taking an example that a UE sends data to a base station, the time slot scheduling method may include:

step 501, the base station obtains the data length of the data.

Step 502, the base station allocates continuous N time slots for the data according to the data length, wherein N is larger than 1.

Step 503, the base station configures a switching period for the last time slot of the N time slots, and does not configure a switching period for at least one time slot of the remaining time slots, where the switching period is used for switching beams corresponding to the UE.

In step 504, the base station sends a notification of N slots to the UE.

In step 505, the UE receives a notification of consecutive N slots sent by the base station.

In step 506, the UE determines that the last time slot of the N time slots is configured with the switching period, and at least one of the remaining time slots is not configured with the switching period.

In step 507, the UE transmits data over the N slots according to the determined first format of the N slots.

In step 508, the base station transmits or receives data over the N time slots according to a first format configured for the N time slots.

Referring to fig. 6, a flowchart of a method for scheduling time slots according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, taking an example that a UE sends data to a base station, the time slot scheduling method may include:

step 601, the UE sends the data length of the data to the base station.

The data in this embodiment refers to data to be transmitted by the UE to the base station, and at this time, the UE serves as a transmitting end and the base station serves as a receiving end.

Since each time slot can only transmit data of a fixed length, the base station needs to acquire the data length of the data and determine the number of allocated time slots according to the data length. At this time, the UE needs to calculate a data length of data and transmit the data length to the base station.

Step 602, the base station receives the data length of the data sent by the UE.

Step 603, the base station allocates continuous N time slots for the data according to the data length, wherein N is larger than 1.

Step 604, the base station determines whether the first beam corresponding to the data is the same as the second beam corresponding to the next data, and sends indication information to the UE, where the indication information is used to indicate whether the first beam corresponding to the data is the same as the second beam corresponding to the next data; when the first beam is different from the second beam, step 605 is executed; when the first beam is the same as the second beam, step 612 is performed.

The base station determines whether the first beam and the second beam are the same, and details of the process of sending the indication information to the UE by the base station are described in step 303, which is not described herein again.

Step 605, the base station configures a switching period for the last time slot of the N time slots, and does not configure a switching period for at least one of the remaining time slots, where the switching period is used to switch beams corresponding to the UE; a control period is configured for a first time slot of the N time slots, and a control period is not configured for at least one time slot of the rest time slots, wherein the control period is used for transmitting or receiving control information.

The process of configuring the first format of N timeslots by the base station is described in step 304, and is not described herein again.

Step 606, the base station sends notification information carrying the time slot number N to the UE.

Specifically, the base station may send notification information carrying the number N of timeslots to the UE before sending data using the N timeslots.

In step 607, the UE receives the notification information sent by the base station, and reads the slot number N from the notification information.

Step 608, the UE receives indication information sent by the base station, where the indication information is used to indicate whether a first beam corresponding to the data is the same as a second beam corresponding to the next data; when the first beam is different from the second beam, performing step 609; when the first beam is the same as the second beam, step 613 is performed.

Step 609, the UE determines that the last time slot of the N time slots is configured with the switching period, and at least one of the other time slots is not configured with the switching period; and determining that a first time slot in the N time slots is configured with a control period, and at least one time slot in the rest time slots is not configured with the control period, wherein the control period is used for transmitting or receiving control information.

The process of determining the first format by the UE is described in step 308, and is not described herein again.

In step 610, the UE transmits data over the N slots according to the determined first format of the N slots.

Specifically, transmitting data over N time slots according to the determined first format of the N time slots includes: and sending control information in the control period of the N time slots, sending data in the data period of the N time slots, stopping sending data in the switching period of the N time slots, and switching beams corresponding to the UE.

In step 611, the base station receives data over the N time slots according to a first format configured for the N time slots.

Specifically, receiving data over N time slots according to a first format configured for the N time slots includes: and receiving the control information in the control period of the N time slots, receiving the data in the data period of the N time slots, stopping receiving the data in the switching period of the N time slots, and switching the beam corresponding to the UE.

Step 612, the base station does not configure a switching period for at least one of the N time slots, and notifies the UE of the N time slots.

And after the base station obtains the second format of the N time slots according to the configuration strategy configuration, the base station informs the UE of the N time slots and sends data on the N time slots according to the second format configured for the N time slots. The process of notifying the UE of the N timeslots by the base station is described in step 606, and is not described herein again.

Step 613, the UE receives the notification of the N time slots sent by the base station, determines that at least one time slot of the N time slots is not configured with the switching period, and sends data on the N time slots according to the determined second format of the N time slots.

Specifically, the process of the UE sending data on N time slots according to the second format is the same as the process of sending data on N time slots according to the first format, which is not described herein again.

In step 614, the base station receives data over the N time slots according to a second format configured for the N time slots.

Specifically, the process of receiving data on N time slots by the base station according to the second format is the same as the process of receiving data on N time slots according to the first format, and details are not repeated here.

Referring to fig. 7, a flowchart of a method for scheduling time slots according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, taking an example that a UE sends data to a base station, the time slot scheduling method may include:

the steps 701-704 are the same as the steps 601-604, and are not described herein again.

Step 705, the base station configures a control period for each time slot of the N time slots, where the control period is used to send or receive control information, and the control information includes a switching flag bit; configuring a switching period for the last time slot in the N time slots, and not configuring the switching period for at least one time slot in the rest time slots; setting the switching flag bit of the time slot configured with the switching time interval as a first value, and setting the switching flag bit of the time slot not configured with the switching time interval as a second value.

The process of configuring the first format for the N timeslots by the base station is described in step 404, and is not described herein again.

Step 706, the base station sends notification information carrying the time slot number N to the UE.

The process of sending the notification information to the UE by the base station is described in step 606, and is not described herein again.

In step 707, the UE receives notification information sent by the base station, and reads the slot number N from the notification information.

Step 708, the UE receives indication information sent by the base station, where the indication information is used to indicate whether a first beam corresponding to the data is the same as a second beam corresponding to the next data; when the first beam is different from the second beam, perform step 709; when the first beam is the same as the second beam, step 713 is performed.

Step 709, the UE determines that each of the N slots is configured with a control period, where the control period is used to send or receive control information, and the control information includes a switch flag bit; determining that the last time slot of the N time slots is configured with a switching period, and at least one time slot of the rest time slots is not configured with the switching period; and determining that the switching zone bit of the time slot configured with the switching period is a first numerical value, and the switching zone bit of the time slot not configured with the switching period is a second numerical value.

In step 710, the UE transmits data over the N slots according to the determined first format of the N slots.

Specifically, transmitting data over N time slots according to the determined first format of the N time slots includes: for the time slot with the switching zone bit as the first numerical value, sending control information in the control period of the time slot, sending data in the data period of the time slot, stopping sending data in the switching period of the time slot, and switching the beam corresponding to the UE; and for the time slot with the switching zone bit of the second value, transmitting the control information in the control period of the time slot and transmitting the data in the data period of the time slot.

In step 711, the base station receives data over the N time slots according to a first format configured for the N time slots.

Specifically, receiving data over N time slots according to a first format configured for the N time slots includes: for the time slot with the switching zone bit as the first numerical value, receiving control information in the control period of the time slot, receiving data in the data period of the time slot, stopping receiving the data in the switching period of the time slot, and switching the beam corresponding to the UE; and for the time slot with the switching flag bit of the second value, receiving the control information in the control period of the time slot and receiving the data in the data period of the time slot.

In step 712, the base station does not configure a switching period for at least one of the N timeslots, and notifies the UE of the N timeslots.

And after the base station obtains the second format of the N time slots according to the configuration strategy, informing the UE of the N time slots. The process of notifying the UE of the N timeslots by the base station is described in step 606, and is not described herein again.

Step 713, the UE receives the notification of the N time slots sent by the base station, determines that at least one time slot of the N time slots does not configure a switching period, and sends data on the N time slots according to the determined second format of the N time slots.

In step 714, the base station receives data over the N time slots according to a second format configured for the N time slots.

Please refer to fig. 8, which illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a timeslot scheduling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The time slot scheduling device can be applied to a base station and can comprise:

a length obtaining module 810, configured to obtain a data length of data, where a sending end or a receiving end of the data is user equipment UE;

a time slot allocating module 820, configured to allocate consecutive N time slots to the data according to the data length obtained by the length obtaining module 810, where N is greater than 1;

a first configuring module 830, configured to configure a switching period for a last time slot of the N time slots allocated by the time slot allocating module 820, and not configure a switching period for at least one time slot of the remaining time slots, where the switching period is used to switch a beam corresponding to the UE;

a first transmission module 840, configured to send a notification of the N time slots to the UE, and send or receive data on the N time slots according to the first format configured by the first configuration module 830 for the N time slots, where the UE is configured to determine the first format according to the notification, and correspondingly process the data on the N time slots according to the first format.

In summary, the time slot scheduling apparatus provided in the embodiment of the present invention configures the switching period for the last time slot of the N time slots, and does not configure the switching period for at least one time slot of the remaining time slots, so that when the data to be transmitted between the base station and the UE occupies multiple time slots, the switching period is configured for the last time slot, and the switching period is not configured for at least one time slot of the remaining time slots, which can be ensured by using the switching period in the last time slot, and smoothly switch to the next beam to continue to transmit data after the data transmission is finished; the switching periods of the remaining timeslots may also be used to transmit data or other information to improve the resource utilization of the timeslots.

Please refer to fig. 9, which illustrates a schematic structural diagram of another timeslot scheduling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The time slot scheduling device can be applied to a base station and can comprise:

a length obtaining module 910, configured to obtain a data length of data, where a sending end or a receiving end of the data is a UE;

a time slot allocating module 920, configured to allocate consecutive N time slots to the data according to the data length obtained by the length obtaining module 910, where N is greater than 1;

a first configuring module 930, configured to configure a switching period for a last time slot of the N time slots allocated by the time slot allocating module 920, and not configure a switching period for at least one time slot of the remaining time slots, where the switching period is used to switch a beam corresponding to the UE;

a first transmission module 940, configured to send a notification of the N time slots to the UE, and send or receive data on the N time slots according to the first format configured by the first configuration module 930 for the N time slots, where the UE is configured to determine the first format according to the notification, and correspondingly process the data on the N time slots according to the first format.

In a first possible implementation manner, the apparatus further includes:

a second configuring module 950, configured to configure a control period for a first time slot of the N time slots, and not configure a control period for at least one of the remaining time slots, where the control period is used for transmitting or receiving control information.

In a second possible implementation manner, the first transmission module 940 includes:

a first transmitting unit 941, configured to add the number N of slots to the control information of the N slots when the receiving end is the UE, transmit the control information in the control period of the N slots, transmit data in the data period of the N slots, stop transmitting data in the switching period of the N slots, and switch beams corresponding to the UE; or,

a first receiving unit 942 is configured to, when the sending end is a UE, send notification information carrying a time slot number N to the UE, receive control information in a control period of N time slots, receive data in a data period of N time slots, stop receiving data in a switching period of N time slots, and switch a beam corresponding to the UE.

In a third possible implementation manner, the first configuration module 930 is specifically configured to:

configuring a control period for each of the N time slots, the control period being used for transmitting or receiving control information, the control information including a switching flag bit;

configuring a switching period for the last time slot in the N time slots, and not configuring the switching period for at least one time slot in the rest time slots;

setting the switching flag bit of the time slot configured with the switching time interval as a first value, and setting the switching flag bit of the time slot not configured with the switching time interval as a second value.

In a fourth possible implementation manner, the first transmission module 940 includes:

a second transmitting unit 943, configured to, when the receiving end is a UE, transmit control information in a control period of a time slot in which the switching flag is a first value, transmit data in a data period of the time slot, stop transmitting data in a switching period of the time slot, and switch a beam corresponding to the UE; for the time slot with the switching zone bit as the second value, sending control information in the control period of the time slot and sending data in the data period of the time slot; or,

a second receiving unit 944, configured to, when the sending end is a UE, receive control information in a control period of a time slot in which the switching flag bit is a first value, receive data in a data period of the time slot, stop receiving the data in a switching period of the time slot, and switch a beam corresponding to the UE; and for the time slot with the switching flag bit of the second value, receiving the control information in the control period of the time slot and receiving the data in the data period of the time slot.

In a fifth possible implementation manner, the apparatus further includes:

a beam determining module 960, configured to determine whether a first beam corresponding to the data is the same as a second beam corresponding to the next data after the time slot allocating module 920 allocates consecutive N time slots to the data according to the data length, and send indication information to the UE, where the indication information is used to indicate whether the first beam corresponding to the data is the same as the second beam corresponding to the next data;

an operation triggering module 970, configured to trigger to execute an operation of configuring a switching period for a last time slot of the N time slots and not configuring a switching period for at least one time slot of the remaining time slots when the beam determining module 960 determines that the first beam is different from the second beam;

a second transmission module 980, configured to, when the beam determining module 960 determines that the first beam is the same as the second beam, configure no switching period for at least one of the N time slots, notify the UE of the N time slots, and send or receive data on the N time slots according to a second format configured for the N time slots, where the UE is configured to determine the second format, and correspondingly process the data on the N time slots according to the second format.

In a sixth possible implementation manner, the length obtaining module 910 includes:

a first obtaining unit 911, configured to receive, when a sending end is a UE, a data length of data sent by the UE; or,

a second obtaining unit 912, configured to calculate a data length of the data when the receiving end is the UE.

Referring to fig. 10, a schematic structural diagram of a timeslot scheduling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The time slot scheduling device can be applied to a UE, and can include:

a notification receiving module 1010, configured to receive a notification of consecutive N time slots sent by a base station, where the N time slots are time slots allocated by the base station for data according to a data length of the data, a sending end or a receiving end of the data is the base station, and N is greater than 1;

a first determining module 1020, configured to determine that a switching period is configured in a last time slot of the N time slots, and a switching period is not configured in at least one of the remaining time slots, where the switching period is used to switch a beam corresponding to the UE;

a first transmission module 1030, configured to send or receive data in N timeslots according to the first format of the N timeslots determined by the first determining module 1020, where the base station is configured to determine the first format and correspondingly process the data in the N timeslots according to the first format.

Referring to fig. 11, a schematic structural diagram of another timeslot scheduling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The time slot scheduling device can be applied to a UE, and can include:

a notification receiving module 1110, configured to receive a notification of consecutive N time slots sent by a base station, where the N time slots are time slots allocated by the base station for data according to a data length of the data, a sending end or a receiving end of the data is the base station, and N is greater than 1;

a first determining module 1120, configured to determine that a switching period is configured in a last time slot of the N time slots, and a switching period is not configured in at least one of the remaining time slots, where the switching period is used to switch a beam corresponding to the UE;

a first transmission module 1130, configured to send or receive data on the N time slots according to the first format of the N time slots determined by the first determining module 1120, and the base station is configured to determine the first format and correspondingly process the data on the N time slots according to the first format.

In a first possible implementation manner, the apparatus further includes:

a second determining module 1140, configured to determine that a first time slot of the N time slots is configured with a control period and at least one of the remaining time slots is not configured with the control period, wherein the control period is used for transmitting or receiving control information.

In a first possible implementation manner, the notification receiving module 1110 includes:

a first receiving unit 1111, configured to, when the transmitting end is a base station, read the number N of slots from the control information of the N slots; or,

a second receiving unit 1112, configured to receive notification information sent by the base station when the receiving end is the base station, and read the number N of slots from the notification information.

In a second possible implementation manner, the first transmission module 1130 includes:

a first sending unit 1131, configured to send control information in a control period of N time slots, send data in a data period of N time slots, stop sending data in a switching period of N time slots, and switch a beam corresponding to the UE when the receiving end is the base station; or,

a first receiving unit 1132, configured to receive, when the sending end is a base station, the control information in a control period of N slots, receive data in a data period of N slots, stop receiving the data in a switching period of N slots, and switch a beam corresponding to the UE.

In a third possible implementation manner, the first determining module 1120 is specifically configured to:

determining that each of the N time slots is configured with a control period for transmitting or receiving control information, the control information including a switching flag bit;

determining that the last time slot of the N time slots is configured with a switching period, and at least one time slot of the rest time slots is not configured with the switching period;

and determining that the switching zone bit of the time slot configured with the switching period is a first numerical value, and the switching zone bit of the time slot not configured with the switching period is a second numerical value.

In a fourth possible implementation manner, the first transmission module 1130 includes:

a second sending unit 1133, configured to send control information in a control period of a time slot with a first value as a switch flag bit, send data in a data period of the time slot, stop sending the data in a switch period of the time slot, and switch a beam corresponding to the UE when the receiving end is the base station; for the time slot with the switching zone bit as the second value, sending control information in the control period of the time slot and sending data in the data period of the time slot; or,

a second receiving unit 1134, configured to receive, when the sending end is a base station, control information in a control period of a time slot with a first value as a switching flag, receive data in a data period of the time slot, stop receiving the data in the switching period of the time slot, and switch a beam corresponding to the UE; and for the time slot with the switching flag bit of the second value, receiving the control information in the control period of the time slot and receiving the data in the data period of the time slot.

In a fifth possible implementation manner, the apparatus further includes:

an information receiving module 1150, configured to receive indication information sent by the base station before the notification receiving module 1110 receives the notification of consecutive N timeslots sent by the base station, where the indication information is used to indicate whether a first beam corresponding to data is the same as a second beam corresponding to next data;

an operation triggering module 1160, configured to trigger an operation of receiving a notification of consecutive N slots sent by the base station when the indication information received by the information receiving module 1150 indicates that the first beam is different from the second beam;

a second transmitting module 1170, configured to receive, when the indication information received by the information receiving module 1150 indicates that the first beam is the same as the second beam, a notification of N timeslots sent by a base station, determine that at least one timeslot of the N timeslots is not configured with a switching period, and send or receive data on the N timeslots according to a second format of the N timeslots, where the base station is configured to determine the second format and correspondingly process the data on the N timeslots according to the second format.

In a sixth possible implementation manner, the apparatus further includes:

a length sending module 1180, configured to send the data length of the data to the base station when the receiving end is the base station before the notification receiving module 1110 receives the notification of the consecutive N time slots sent by the base station.

Fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a timeslot scheduling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The time slot scheduling device may include: a bus 1201, and a processor 1202, a memory 1203, a transceiver 1204 connected to the bus. Wherein the memory 1203 is configured to store instructions configured to be executed by the processor 1202 to:

when the time slot scheduling device is applied to the base station:

a transceiver 1204, configured to obtain a data length of data, where a transmitting end or a receiving end of the data is a UE;

a processor 1202, configured to allocate consecutive N timeslots for data according to the data length obtained by the transceiver 1204, where N > 1; configuring a switching period for the last time slot of the N time slots, and not configuring the switching period for at least one time slot of the rest time slots, wherein the switching period is used for switching beams corresponding to the UE;

the transceiver 1204 is configured to send a notification of the N time slots to the UE, and send or receive data over the N time slots according to a first format configured for the N time slots, and the UE is configured to determine the first format according to the notification, and correspondingly process the data over the N time slots according to the first format.

When the time slot scheduling device is applied to the base station:

a transceiver 1204, configured to receive a notification of consecutive N time slots sent by a base station, where the N time slots are time slots allocated by the base station for data according to a data length of the data, a sending end or a receiving end of the data is the base station, and N is greater than 1;

a processor 1202, configured to determine that a last time slot of the N time slots is configured with a switching period, and at least one time slot of the remaining time slots is not configured with the switching period, where the switching period is used to switch a beam corresponding to the UE;

the transceiver 1204 is configured to transmit or receive data over the N time slots according to the determined first format of the N time slots, and the base station is configured to determine the first format and correspondingly process the data over the N time slots according to the first format.

Referring to fig. 12, the time slot scheduling apparatus may include: a bus 1201, and a processor 1202, a memory 1203, a transceiver 1204 connected to the bus. Wherein the memory 1203 is configured to store instructions configured to be executed by the processor 1202 to:

when the time slot scheduling device is applied to the base station:

a processor 1202, configured to allocate consecutive N timeslots for data according to the data length obtained by the transceiver 1204, where N > 1; configuring a switching period for the last time slot of the N time slots, and not configuring a switching period for at least one time slot of the rest time slots, wherein the switching period is used for switching beams corresponding to the UE;

In a first possible implementation manner, the processor 1202 is further configured to configure a control period for a first time slot of the N time slots, and not configure a control period for at least one time slot of the remaining time slots, where the control period is used for sending or receiving control information.

In a second possible implementation form of the method,

when the receiving end is a UE, the processor 1202 is configured to add the number N of slots to the control information of the N slots; a transceiver 1204, configured to send control information in a control period of N time slots, send data in a data period of N time slots, stop sending data in a switching period of N time slots, and switch a beam corresponding to the UE; or,

when the transmitting end is a UE, the processor 1202 is configured to send notification information carrying the number N of time slots to the UE, and the transceiver 1204 is configured to receive the control information in the control period of the N time slots, receive data in the data period of the N time slots, stop receiving the data in the switching period of the N time slots, and switch a beam corresponding to the UE.

In a third possible implementation, or just to witness, the processor 1202 is specifically configured to:

In a fourth possible implementation manner, the transceiver 1204 is specifically configured to:

when the receiving end is UE, for the time slot with the switching zone bit as the first numerical value, sending control information in the control period of the time slot, sending data in the data period of the time slot, stopping sending data in the switching period of the time slot, and switching the wave beam corresponding to the UE; for the time slot with the switching zone bit as the second value, sending control information in the control period of the time slot and sending data in the data period of the time slot; or,

when the sending end is UE, for the time slot with the switching flag bit as the first value, receiving the control information in the control period of the time slot, receiving the data in the data period of the time slot, stopping receiving the data in the switching period of the time slot, and switching the beam corresponding to the UE; and for the time slot with the switching flag bit of the second value, receiving the control information in the control period of the time slot and receiving the data in the data period of the time slot.

In a fifth possible implementation manner, the processor 1202 is further configured to determine whether a first beam corresponding to the data is the same as a second beam corresponding to the next data after allocating consecutive N time slots to the data according to the data length;

the transceiver 1204 is further configured to send, to the UE, indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate whether a first beam corresponding to the data is the same as a second beam corresponding to the next data;

a processor 1202, further configured to trigger performing, when the first beam is different from the second beam, an operation of configuring a switching period for a last time slot of the N time slots and not configuring a switching period for at least one time slot of the remaining time slots; when the first beam is the same as the second beam, configuring no switching period for at least one time slot in the N time slots;

the transceiver 1204 is further configured to notify the UE of the N time slots, and to transmit or receive data on the N time slots according to a second format configured for the N time slots, where the UE is configured to determine the second format and to correspondingly process the data on the N time slots according to the second format.

In a sixth possible implementation manner, the transceiver 1204 is specifically configured to receive, when the transmitting end is a UE, a data length of data transmitted by the UE; or,

the processor 1202 is specifically configured to calculate a data length of the data when the receiving end is the UE.

When the time slot scheduling device is applied to the base station:

In a first possible implementation manner, the processor 1202 is further configured to determine that a first time slot of the N time slots is configured with the control period, and at least one time slot of the remaining time slots is not configured with the control period, where the control period is used for transmitting or receiving control information.

In a second possible implementation manner, when the sending end is a base station, the processor 1202 is further configured to read the number N of time slots from the control information of the N time slots; or,

when the receiving end is a base station, the transceiver 1204 is further configured to receive notification information sent by the base station, and the processor 1202 is further configured to read the number of slots N from the notification information.

In a third possible implementation manner, the transceiver 1204 is specifically configured to:

when the receiving end is a base station, sending control information in the control time interval of N time slots, sending data in the data time interval of N time slots, stopping sending data in the switching time interval of N time slots, and switching beams corresponding to the UE; or,

when the sending end is a base station, the control information is received in the control time interval of N time slots, the data is received in the data time interval of N time slots, the data reception is stopped in the switching time interval of N time slots, and the wave beam corresponding to the UE is switched.

In a fourth possible implementation manner, the processor 1202 is specifically configured to:

In a fifth possible implementation manner, the processor 1202 is specifically configured to:

when the receiving end is a base station, for a time slot with a switching zone bit of a first numerical value, sending control information in a control time interval of the time slot, sending data in a data time interval of the time slot, stopping sending the data in a switching time interval of the time slot, and switching a beam corresponding to the UE; for the time slot with the switching zone bit as the second value, sending control information in the control period of the time slot and sending data in the data period of the time slot; or,

when the sending end is a base station, for a time slot with a switching flag bit as a first value, receiving control information in a control period of the time slot, receiving data in a data period of the time slot, stopping receiving the data in a switching period of the time slot, and switching a beam corresponding to the UE; and for the time slot with the switching flag bit of the second value, receiving the control information in the control period of the time slot and receiving the data in the data period of the time slot.

In a sixth possible implementation manner, the transceiver 1204 is further configured to receive, before receiving the notification of the consecutive N time slots sent by the base station, indication information sent by the base station, where the indication information is used to indicate whether a first beam corresponding to the data is the same as a second beam corresponding to next data;

when the first beam is different from the second beam, the processor 1202 is further configured to trigger performing an operation of receiving a notification of consecutive N time slots sent by the base station;

the transceiver 1204 is further configured to receive a notification of N slots sent by the base station when the first beam is the same as the second beam; a processor 1202, further configured to determine that at least one of the N time slots is not configured with a switching period; the transceiver 1204 is further configured to transmit or receive data over the N time slots according to the determined second format of the N time slots, and the base station is configured to determine the second format and correspondingly process the data over the N time slots according to the second format.

In a seventh possible implementation manner, the transceiver 1204 is further configured to send the data length of the data to the base station when the receiving end is the base station before receiving the notification of the consecutive N time slots sent by the base station.

It should be noted that: in the time slot scheduling apparatus provided in the foregoing embodiment, only the division of the functional modules is described as an example when performing time slot scheduling, and in practical applications, the function allocation may be completed by different functional modules according to needs, that is, the internal structure of the time slot scheduling apparatus is divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. In addition, the time slot scheduling apparatus and the time slot scheduling method provided by the above embodiments belong to the same concept, and specific implementation processes thereof are detailed in the method embodiments and are not described herein again.

The above-mentioned serial numbers of the embodiments of the present invention are merely for description and do not represent the merits of the embodiments.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware or combinations of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the implementation. 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 invention.

It is clear to those skilled in the art that, for convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described systems, apparatuses and units may refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and are not described herein again.

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, apparatus and method may be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described apparatus embodiments are merely illustrative, and for example, the division of the units may be merely a logical division, and in actual implementation, there may be another division, for example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted, or not executed. In addition, the shown or discussed mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection may be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and may be in an electrical, mechanical or other form.

The units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the embodiment.

In addition, functional units in the embodiments of the present invention may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units are integrated into one unit.

The functions, if implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present invention may be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device) to execute all or part of the steps of the method according to the embodiments of the present invention. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: various media capable of storing program codes, such as a usb disk, a removable hard disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

The above description is only for the specific embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of the changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present invention, and all the changes or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for scheduling time slots, the method comprising:

acquiring the data length of data, wherein a sending end or a receiving end of the data is User Equipment (UE);

distributing continuous N time slots for the data according to the data length, wherein N is greater than 1;

configuring a control period for each of the N time slots, wherein the control period is used for transmitting or receiving control information, and the control information includes a switching flag bit;

configuring a switching period for the last time slot of the N time slots, and not configuring the switching period for at least one time slot of the rest time slots, wherein the switching period is used for switching the beam corresponding to the UE;

setting a switching flag bit of a time slot configured with the switching time interval as a first numerical value, and setting a switching flag bit of a time slot not configured with the switching time interval as a second numerical value;

and sending a notification of the N time slots to the UE, and sending or receiving the data on the N time slots according to a first format configured for the N time slots, wherein the UE is used for determining the first format according to the notification, and correspondingly processing the data on the N time slots according to the first format.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring a control period for a first time slot of the N time slots, and not configuring the control period for at least one time slot of the rest time slots, wherein the control period is used for sending or receiving control information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending the notification of the N slots to the UE and the sending or receiving the data over the N slots according to a first format configured for the N slots comprises:

when the receiving end is the UE, adding the time slot number N to the control information of the N time slots, sending the control information in the control time interval of the N time slots, sending the data in the data time interval of the N time slots, stopping sending the data in the switching time interval of the N time slots, and switching the wave beam corresponding to the UE; or,

when the sending end is the UE, sending notification information carrying time slot number N to the UE, receiving the control information in the control time period of the N time slots, receiving the data in the data time period of the N time slots, stopping receiving the data in the switching time period of the N time slots, and switching beams corresponding to the UE.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting or receiving the data over the N time slots according to a first format configured for the N time slots comprises:

when the receiving end is the UE, for a time slot with a switching flag bit of a first value, sending the control information in a control period of the time slot, sending the data in a data period of the time slot, stopping sending the data in a switching period of the time slot, and switching a beam corresponding to the UE; for the time slot with the switching flag bit as the second value, the control information is sent in the control period of the time slot, and the data is sent in the data period of the time slot; or,

when the sending end is the UE, for a time slot with a switching flag bit of a first value, receiving the control information in a control period of the time slot, receiving the data in a data period of the time slot, stopping receiving the data in a switching period of the time slot, and switching a beam corresponding to the UE; and for the time slot with the switching flag bit of the second value, receiving the control information in the control period of the time slot, and receiving the data in the data period of the time slot.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein after allocating consecutive N timeslots for the data according to the data length, further comprising:

judging whether a first beam corresponding to the data is the same as a second beam corresponding to the next data, and sending indication information to the UE, wherein the indication information is used for indicating whether the first beam corresponding to the data is the same as the second beam corresponding to the next data;

when the first beam is different from the second beam, triggering and executing the step of configuring the switching period for the last time slot in the N time slots and not configuring the switching period for at least one time slot in the rest time slots;

when the first beam and the second beam are the same, a switching period is not configured for at least one time slot of the N time slots, the UE is notified of the N time slots, and the data is sent or received on the N time slots according to a second format configured for the N time slots, wherein the UE is configured to determine the second format and correspondingly process the data on the N time slots according to the second format.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the data length of the acquired data comprises:

when the sending end is the UE, receiving the data length of the data sent by the UE; or,

and when the receiving end is the UE, calculating the data length of the data.

7. A method for scheduling time slots, the method comprising:

receiving a notification of N continuous time slots sent by a base station, wherein the N time slots are time slots distributed for data by the base station according to the data length of the data, a sending end or a receiving end of the data is the base station, and N is greater than 1;

determining that each of the N time slots is configured with a control period, the control period being used for transmitting or receiving control information, the control information including a switching flag bit;

determining that a switching period is configured in the last time slot of the N time slots, and the switching period is not configured in at least one of the rest time slots, wherein the switching period is used for switching a beam corresponding to User Equipment (UE);

determining that the switching zone bit of the time slot configured with the switching time interval is a first numerical value, and the switching zone bit of the time slot not configured with the switching time interval is a second numerical value;

and the base station is used for determining the first format and correspondingly processing the data on the N time slots according to the first format.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining that a first time slot of the N time slots is configured with a control time period, and at least one time slot of the rest time slots is not configured with the control time period, wherein the control time period is used for sending or receiving control information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the receiving the notification of the consecutive N time slots sent by the base station comprises:

when the sending end is the base station, reading the time slot number N from the control information of the N time slots; or,

and when the receiving end is the base station, receiving notification information sent by the base station, and reading the time slot number N from the notification information.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the transmitting or receiving the data over the N time slots according to the determined first format of the N time slots comprises:

when the receiving end is the base station, sending the control information in the control period of the N time slots, sending the data in the data period of the N time slots, stopping sending the data in the switching period of the N time slots, and switching the beam corresponding to the UE; or,

and when the sending end is the base station, receiving the control information in the control time interval of the N time slots, receiving the data in the data time interval of the N time slots, stopping receiving the data in the switching time interval of the N time slots, and switching the beam corresponding to the UE.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the transmitting or receiving the data over the N time slots according to the determined first format of the N time slots comprises:

when the receiving end is the base station, for a time slot with a switching flag bit of a first value, sending the control information in a control period of the time slot, sending the data in a data period of the time slot, stopping sending the data in a switching period of the time slot, and switching a beam corresponding to the UE; for the time slot with the switching flag bit as the second value, the control information is sent in the control period of the time slot, and the data is sent in the data period of the time slot; or,

when the sending end is the base station, for a time slot with a switching flag bit of a first value, receiving the control information in a control period of the time slot, receiving the data in a data period of the time slot, stopping receiving the data in a switching period of the time slot, and switching a beam corresponding to the UE; and for the time slot with the switching flag bit of the second value, receiving the control information in the control period of the time slot, and receiving the data in the data period of the time slot.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the receiving the notification of the consecutive N time slots sent by the base station is preceded by:

receiving indication information sent by the base station, wherein the indication information is used for indicating whether a first beam corresponding to the data is the same as a second beam corresponding to the next data;

triggering the execution of a notification of consecutive N time slots transmitted by the receiving base station when the first beam is different from the second beam;

when the first beam is the same as the second beam, receiving a notification of N time slots sent by the base station, determining that the switching period is not configured for at least one time slot of the N time slots, and sending or receiving the data on the N time slots according to a determined second format of the N time slots, where the base station is configured to determine the second format and correspondingly process the data on the N time slots according to the second format.

13. The method according to any of claims 7 to 12, wherein the receiving the notification of consecutive N time slots sent by the base station further comprises:

and when the receiving end is the base station, sending the data length of the data to the base station.

14. An apparatus for scheduling time slots, the apparatus comprising:

the length acquisition module is used for acquiring the data length of data, and a sending end or a receiving end of the data is User Equipment (UE);

the time slot distribution module is used for distributing continuous N time slots for the data according to the data length obtained by the length acquisition module, wherein N is more than 1;

a first configuration module, configured to configure a control period for each of the N time slots, where the control period is used to send or receive control information, and the control information includes a switching flag bit; configuring a switching period for the last time slot of the N time slots, and not configuring the switching period for at least one time slot of the rest time slots, wherein the switching period is used for switching the beam corresponding to the UE; setting a switching flag bit of a time slot configured with the switching time interval as a first numerical value, and setting a switching flag bit of a time slot not configured with the switching time interval as a second numerical value;

a first transmission module, configured to send a notification of the N timeslots to the UE, and send or receive the data on the N timeslots according to a first format configured by the first configuration module for the N timeslots, where the UE is configured to determine the first format according to the notification, and correspondingly process the data on the N timeslots according to the first format.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a second configuration module, configured to configure a control period for a first time slot of the N time slots, and not configure the control period for at least one time slot of the remaining time slots, where the control period is used to send or receive control information.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first transmission module comprises:

a first sending unit, configured to add, when the receiving end is the UE, a slot number N to the control information of the N slots, send the control information in a control period of the N slots, send the data in a data period of the N slots, stop sending the data in a switching period of the N slots, and switch a beam corresponding to the UE; or,

a first receiving unit, configured to send notification information carrying a time slot number N to the UE when the sending end is the UE, receive the control information in a control period of the N time slots, receive the data in a data period of the N time slots, stop receiving the data in a switching period of the N time slots, and switch a beam corresponding to the UE.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first transmission module comprises:

a second sending unit, configured to send the control information in a control period of a time slot with a first value as a switching flag bit, send the data in a data period of the time slot, stop sending the data in a switching period of the time slot, and switch a beam corresponding to the UE, when the receiving end is the UE; for the time slot with the switching flag bit as the second value, the control information is sent in the control period of the time slot, and the data is sent in the data period of the time slot; or,

a second receiving unit, configured to receive, when the sending end is the UE, the control information in a control period of a time slot in which a switching flag bit is a first value, receive the data in a data period of the time slot, stop receiving the data in a switching period of the time slot, and switch a beam corresponding to the UE; and for the time slot with the switching flag bit of the second value, receiving the control information in the control period of the time slot, and receiving the data in the data period of the time slot.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a beam determining module, configured to determine whether a first beam corresponding to the data is the same as a second beam corresponding to next data after the time slot allocating module allocates consecutive N time slots to the data according to the data length, and send indication information to the UE, where the indication information is used to indicate whether the first beam corresponding to the data is the same as the second beam corresponding to next data;

an operation triggering module, configured to trigger execution of the operation of configuring the switching period for the last time slot of the N time slots and not configuring the switching period for at least one time slot of the remaining time slots when the beam determining module determines that the first beam is different from the second beam;

a second transmission module, configured to, when the beam determination module determines that the first beam is the same as the second beam, configure no switching period for at least one time slot of the N time slots, notify the UE of the N time slots, and send or receive the data on the N time slots according to a second format configured for the N time slots, where the UE is configured to determine the second format, and correspondingly process the data on the N time slots according to the second format.

19. The apparatus of any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein the length acquisition module comprises:

a first obtaining unit, configured to receive, when the sending end is the UE, a data length of the data sent by the UE; or,

a second obtaining unit, configured to calculate a data length of the data when the receiving end is the UE.

20. An apparatus for scheduling time slots, the apparatus comprising:

a notification receiving module, configured to receive a notification of N consecutive time slots sent by a base station, where the N time slots are time slots allocated to data by the base station according to a data length of the data, a sending end or a receiving end of the data is the base station, and N is greater than 1;

a first determining module, configured to determine that each of the N timeslots is configured with a control period, where the control period is used to transmit or receive control information, and the control information includes a switching flag bit; determining that a switching period is configured in the last time slot of the N time slots, and the switching period is not configured in at least one of the rest time slots, wherein the switching period is used for switching a beam corresponding to User Equipment (UE); determining that the switching zone bit of the time slot configured with the switching time interval is a first numerical value, and the switching zone bit of the time slot not configured with the switching time interval is a second numerical value;

a first transmission module, configured to send or receive the data on the N time slots according to the first format of the N time slots determined by the first determination module, where the base station is configured to determine the first format, and correspondingly process the data on the N time slots according to the first format.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:

a second determining module, configured to determine that a first time slot of the N time slots is configured with a control period, and at least one time slot of the remaining time slots is not configured with the control period, where the control period is used to send or receive control information.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the notification receiving module comprises:

a first receiving unit, configured to read a time slot number N from the control information of the N time slots when the transmitting end is the base station; or,

a second receiving unit, configured to receive notification information sent by the base station when the receiving end is the base station, and read the number N of time slots from the notification information.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the first transmission module comprises:

a first sending unit, configured to send the control information in a control period of the N time slots, send the data in a data period of the N time slots, stop sending the data in a switching period of the N time slots, and switch a beam corresponding to the UE when the receiving end is the base station; or,

a first receiving unit, configured to receive the control information in the control period of the N time slots, receive the data in the data period of the N time slots, stop receiving the data in the switching period of the N time slots, and switch a beam corresponding to the UE when the transmitting end is the base station.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the first transmission module comprises:

a second sending unit, configured to send the control information in a control period of a time slot with a first value as a switching flag, send the data in a data period of the time slot, stop sending the data in a switching period of the time slot, and switch a beam corresponding to the UE, when the receiving end is the base station; for the time slot with the switching flag bit as the second value, the control information is sent in the control period of the time slot, and the data is sent in the data period of the time slot; or,

a second receiving unit, configured to receive, when the sending end is the base station, the control information in a control period of a time slot in which a switching flag bit is a first value, receive the data in a data period of the time slot, stop receiving the data in a switching period of the time slot, and switch a beam corresponding to the UE; and for the time slot with the switching flag bit of the second value, receiving the control information in the control period of the time slot, and receiving the data in the data period of the time slot.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:

an information receiving module, configured to receive indication information sent by a base station before the notification receiving module receives a notification of consecutive N time slots sent by the base station, where the indication information is used to indicate whether a first beam corresponding to the data is the same as a second beam corresponding to next data;

an operation triggering module, configured to trigger an operation of performing notification of consecutive N time slots sent by the receiving base station when the indication information received by the information receiving module indicates that the first beam is different from the second beam;

a second transmission module, configured to receive, when the indication information received by the information receiving module indicates that the first beam is the same as the second beam, a notification of N timeslots sent by the base station, determine that the switching period is not configured for at least one timeslot of the N timeslots, and send or receive the data on the N timeslots according to a determined second format of the N timeslots, where the base station is configured to determine the second format, and correspondingly process the data on the N timeslots according to the second format.

26. The apparatus of any one of claims 20 to 25, further comprising:

a length sending module, configured to send the data length of the data to the base station when the receiving end is the base station before the notification receiving module receives the notification of the consecutive N time slots sent by the base station.