Communication method and related equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a communication method and related equipment. According to the communication method, the terminal equipment resides on a serving cell to carry out services such as conversation and internet surfing, and the terminal equipment can start a timer T1 under the condition of determining that a reporting condition of a preset measurement event is met and determining that a signal of the serving cell and a signal of an adjacent cell meet a certain condition; and the RLF process is triggered under the condition that the timer T1 is overtime and the terminal equipment does not receive the switching message. And according to the RLF process, the terminal equipment performs cell selection, sends an RRC reestablishment request to the network equipment corresponding to the selected cell so as to establish an RRC connection with the network equipment corresponding to the selected cell, and continues to perform the service based on the RRC connection. According to the method, the service lag time caused by unsuccessful cell switching can be reduced, and the communication experience of the user in the service is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of terminal technology, and in particular to a communication method and related equipment. Background Art

[0002] In the cell switching process, the network device sends a measurement control message to the terminal device. After receiving the measurement control message, the terminal device measures the "surrounding cells" (for example, adjacent cells) based on the measurement control message, and sends a measurement report to the network device. After receiving the measurement report, the network device makes a judgment on whether the terminal device switches to other cells, and sends a switching message to the terminal device (such as an RRC connection reconfiguration message carrying an indication of switching to other cells). After receiving the switching message, the terminal device performs cell switching based on the switching message. It can be understood that RRC refers to Radio Resource Control (RRC).

[0003] Based on the above content, it can be known that the cell switching process is controlled by the network equipment, and the terminal equipment only performs measurements, reports and switches based on the instructions issued by the network equipment. In communication systems, such as New Radio (NR) systems or Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, when the signal of the cell where the terminal equipment is currently resident becomes weak, due to factors such as rapid attenuation of signal channel quality, unreasonable configuration of measurement and reporting thresholds, rapid movement of terminal equipment and obstruction of objects, long duration of measurement or switching preparation, or inability of the terminal equipment to decode the switching message sent by the network equipment, it will lead to a delay in switching to other cells with better signals, causing the services in the current resident cell to be stuck for a long time, affecting the user experience.

[0004] Therefore, how to reduce the service freeze duration in the cell switching scenario is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and related devices to reduce the service freeze duration in a cell switching scenario.

[0006] In some embodiments, by triggering the RLF process in advance when cell switching cannot be successfully performed or it takes too long to successfully switch to other cells, other cells with better signals can be selected for access, thereby reducing the lag time of the terminal device when performing services and improving the user's communication experience in the services.

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, characterized in that the method is applied to a terminal device; the method includes: the terminal device resides on a first cell to perform a service; the terminal device determines whether a reporting condition of a preset measurement event is met, and determines whether a signal of the first cell and a signal of an adjacent cell of the first cell meet a preset condition; when the reporting condition of the preset measurement event is met, and the signal of the first cell and a signal of an adjacent cell of the first cell meet the preset condition, the terminal device starts a first timer; when the first timer times out but the terminal device does not receive a switching message, the terminal device triggers a radio link failure RLF process in advance; according to the RLF process, the terminal device performs cell selection and selects to reside in a second cell; according to the RLF process, the terminal device establishes an RRC connection with a network device corresponding to the second cell through a radio resource control RRC re-establishment process; the terminal device continues to perform the service through the RRC connection. The first cell is the current serving cell of the terminal device; the switching message is used to instruct the terminal device to perform a cell switch.

[0008] In the solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can start the first timer to control the time when the terminal device triggers the RLF process when the reporting conditions of the preset measurement time are met and the signal of the current resident cell and the signal of the neighboring cell of the cell meet the preset conditions, so that the triggering time of the RLF process is shortened, so that the terminal device can select a cell with a better signal for access as soon as possible, thereby reducing the freezing time of the terminal device when performing services and improving the communication experience of users in the services. The service may be a call service. If the freezing time of the call service is long, it will greatly affect the user experience.

[0009] In some embodiments of the present application, the first cell may be cell B.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present application, the second cell may be cell C. It is understandable that the second cell may also be other cells (eg, other neighboring cells of cell B), and the present application does not impose any specific limitation on this.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present application, the first timer may be timer T1.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation method, the preset conditions may include: the signal quality of the first cell is less than or equal to a first preset threshold, the signal quality of the second cell is greater than the signal quality of the first cell, and the difference between the signal quality of the second cell and the signal quality of the first cell is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold.

[0013] In the solutions provided in some embodiments of the present application, the second cell may be an adjacent cell of the first cell. When the reporting conditions of the preset measurement event are met, and the signal quality of the first cell is poor, and the signal quality of the second cell is better than the signal quality of the first cell to a certain extent, the terminal device triggers the start of the first timer to shorten the duration of triggering the RLF process, while in other cases, the possibility of successful cell switching may be greater or the time consumed may be shorter, and the terminal device may no longer need to consume resources to perform the above operations. This method can use different methods in different scenarios to achieve access to a cell with better signal as soon as possible.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present application, the second cell may be one of the one or more neighboring cells of the first cell.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present application, the first preset threshold may be preset threshold 1.

[0016] In some embodiments of the present application, the second preset threshold may be preset threshold 2.

[0017] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the signal quality of the first cell is less than or equal to a first preset threshold, which may specifically include at least one of the following: the signal-to-noise ratio of the first cell is less than or equal to the first threshold; or, the reference signal received power of the first cell is less than or equal to the second threshold; or, the reference signal received quality of the first cell is less than or equal to the third threshold. The signal quality of the second cell is greater than the signal quality of the first cell, and the difference between the signal quality of the second cell and the signal quality of the first cell is greater than or equal to the second preset threshold, which may specifically include at least one of the following: the signal-to-noise ratio of the second cell is greater than or equal to the signal-to-noise ratio of the first cell, and the difference between the signal-to-noise ratio of the second cell and the signal-to-noise ratio of the first cell is greater than or equal to a fourth threshold; or, the reference signal received power of the second cell is greater than or equal to the reference signal received power of the first cell, and the difference between the reference signal received power of the second cell and the reference signal received power of the first cell is greater than or equal to a fifth threshold; or, the reference signal received quality of the second cell is greater than or equal to the reference signal received quality of the first cell, and the difference between the reference signal received quality of the second cell and the reference signal received quality of the first cell is greater than or equal to a sixth threshold.

[0018] In the solutions provided in some embodiments of the present application, the terminal device may measure the signal quality of the cell by at least one of the parameters such as SNR, RSRP, and RSRQ. In particular, the terminal device may measure the signal quality of the first cell and the second cell by combining different parameters. This approach may improve the accuracy of the terminal device in measuring the signal quality of the first cell and the second cell.

[0019] In some embodiments of the present application, the first threshold may be threshold_1. The second threshold may be threshold_2. The third threshold may be threshold_3. The fourth threshold may be threshold_4. The fifth threshold may be threshold_5. The sixth threshold may be threshold_6.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the method may further include: when a reporting condition of the preset measurement event is met, the terminal device sends at least one preset measurement report, and the preset measurement report corresponds to the preset measurement event. The terminal device triggers the RLF process in advance, including: the duration from the first time the terminal device sends the preset measurement report to the timeout of the first timer is less than the duration from the first time the terminal device sends the preset measurement report to the timeout of timer T310.

[0021] In the solutions provided in some embodiments of the present application, the duration defined by the first timer can be set based on the duration defined by timer T310. Timer T310 timeout is one of the reasons for triggering the RLF process. This method can shorten the duration of triggering the RLF process, that is, the terminal device triggers the RLF process in advance, so that the terminal device can access a cell with a better signal as soon as possible, reducing the duration of the freeze when the terminal device performs services.

[0022] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the terminal device triggers the RLF process in advance including: the duration of the first timer is less than the duration of timer T310.

[0023] It can be understood that the duration of the timer mentioned in this application and the duration defined by the timer have the same meaning.

[0024] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the terminal device triggers the RLF process in advance, including: the duration of the first timer is 300 milliseconds or 500 milliseconds.

[0025] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the terminal device triggering the RLF process in advance includes:

[0026] The duration from the first time the terminal device sends a preset measurement report corresponding to the preset measurement event to the timeout of the first timer satisfies at least one of the following: less than the duration from the first time the terminal device sends the preset measurement report to the occurrence of an uplink listen-before-talk (LBT) failure; less than the duration from the first time the terminal device sends the preset measurement report to the receipt of a random access problem indication from the main cell group media access control (MCG MAC); less than the duration from the first time the terminal device sends the preset measurement report to the time the number of retransmissions of the main cell group radio link control (MCG RLC) reaches the maximum value; less than the duration from the first time the terminal device sends the preset measurement report to the receipt of a backhaul link radio link failure (BH RLF) indication on the backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) entity.

[0027] In the solutions provided in some embodiments of the present application, the duration defined by the first timer can be set based on the reason for triggering the RLF process. This method can shorten the duration of triggering the RLF process, that is, the terminal device triggers the RLF process in advance, so that the terminal device can access a cell with a better signal as soon as possible, reducing the duration of the terminal device freezing when performing services.

[0028] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation method, the moment when the terminal device starts the first timer is earlier than the moment when the terminal device first sends a preset measurement report corresponding to the preset measurement event to the network device corresponding to the first cell, and the interval between the moment when the terminal device starts the first timer and the moment when the terminal device first sends the preset measurement report to the network device corresponding to the first cell is short; or the moment when the terminal device starts the first timer is later than the moment when the terminal device first sends the preset measurement report to the network device corresponding to the first cell, and the interval between the moment when the terminal device starts the first timer and the moment when the terminal device first sends the preset measurement report to the network device corresponding to the first cell is short; or the moment when the terminal device starts the first timer is the same as the moment when the terminal device first sends the preset measurement report to the network device corresponding to the first cell.

[0029] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the preset measurement event may be event A3 or event A5.

[0030] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the second cell is a cell having the strongest signal among one or more neighboring cells of the first cell.

[0031] In a second aspect, some embodiments of the present application provide a terminal device, comprising: one or more processors, and one or more memories; the one or more memories are coupled to the one or more processors, the memory is used to store computer program code, the computer program code includes computer instructions, and the one or more processors call the computer instructions to cause the terminal device to execute the method described in the first aspect or any one of the implementations of the first aspect.

[0032] In a third aspect, some embodiments of the present application provide a computer storage medium comprising computer instructions, which, when executed on a terminal device, cause the terminal device to execute the method described in the first aspect or any one of the implementations of the first aspect.

[0033] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip system, which is applied to a terminal device. The chip system includes at least one processor and an interface, wherein the interface is used to receive instructions and transmit them to the at least one processor; the at least one processor executes the instructions so that the terminal device executes the method described in the first aspect or any one implementation of the first aspect.

[0034] In some embodiments of the present application, the chip system may be a modem (modulation and demodulation processor), that is, a baseband processor.

[0035] In some other embodiments of the present application, the chip system may include a modem and other modules, such as an AP (Application Processor) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit).

[0036] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a terminal device, enables the terminal device to execute the method described in the first aspect or any one of the implementations of the first aspect.

[0037] It is understandable that the terminal device provided in the second aspect, the computer storage medium provided in the third aspect, the chip system provided in the fourth aspect, and the computer program product provided in the fifth aspect are all used to execute the method described in the first aspect or any one of the implementations of the first aspect. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can refer to the beneficial effects of any possible implementation of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a switching process provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 2A schematic diagram of a network architecture provided for an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 3 A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 4 A flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the software structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means or, for example, A / B can mean A or B; "and / or" in the text is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, in the description of the embodiments of the present application, "multiple" means two or more than two.

[0045] It should be understood that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification, claims and drawings of the present application are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include steps or units that are not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units that are inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0046] Reference to "embodiments" in this application means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of the phrase in various locations in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described in this application may be combined with other embodiments.

[0047] First, some of the terms and related technologies involved in this application are explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0048] 1. Cell

[0049] A cell is an area within the wireless coverage of a network device (e.g., a base station). In this area, a terminal device can reliably communicate with the network device via wireless signals. It can be understood that the coverage of each network device can be divided into one or more cells, and each cell can correspond to one or more frequencies. It can also be understood that each cell is an area formed by the coverage of one or more frequencies.

[0050] In some embodiments of the present application, different cells may correspond to the same network device. That is, the network device to which cell A belongs and the network device to which cell B belongs may be the same network device. For example, cell A and cell B may be managed by the same base station. In this case, cell A and cell B may be referred to as co-station.

[0051] In some embodiments of the present application, different cells may correspond to different network devices. That is, the network device to which cell A belongs and the network device to which cell B belongs may be different network devices. For example, cell A and cell B may be managed by different base stations. For another example, cell A and cell B may be managed by the same base station, but the radio frequency processing units corresponding to cell A and cell B are different radio frequency processing units in the same base station.

[0052] Neighboring cells, or neighboring areas, or neighboring cells, refer to areas within the wireless coverage of network devices that are physically associated with the current serving cell and transmit signals on the same frequency or different frequencies. In other words, neighboring cells refer to cells that are connected or adjacent to the current serving cell. In layman's terms, neighboring cells can be understood as "surrounding cells" of the current serving cell.

[0053] 2. Cell Handover (HO)

[0054] Cell switching refers to the process of migrating the communication link between a terminal device and a current network device to another network device in mobile communications. In a wireless communication system, when a terminal device moves from one cell to another or approaches another cell, a cell switching is required to keep the communication of the terminal device uninterrupted.

[0055] Cell handover can be intra-site handover or inter-site handover, which is not specifically limited in this application. Intra-site handover means that the source cell and the target cell belong to the same network device (e.g., base station). Inter-site handover means that the source cell and the target cell belong to different network devices (e.g., base station).

[0056] In this application, the source cell refers to the cell that provides services to the terminal device before the cell switching, and the target cell refers to the cell that provides services to the terminal device after the cell switching. For the convenience of description, this application records the network device corresponding to the source cell as the source network device, and the network device corresponding to the target cell as the target network device. It is understandable that the source network device and the target network device can be the same network device or different network devices.

[0057] The following describes the measurement-based cell switching process.

[0058] Step 1: The source network device sends a measurement control message to the terminal device.

[0059] The measurement control message can be an RRC connection reconfiguration message (RRCConnection Reconfiguration) carrying a measConfig information element. The measurement control message is sent to the terminal device in the form of measId. measId is the database measurement configuration entry index. Each measId corresponds to two elements: measObjectId and reportConfigId. measObjectId is the measurement object identifier, corresponding to a measurement object configuration item. reportConfigId is the measurement report identifier, corresponding to a measurement report configuration item. These two elements are at the beginning of the same measConfig information element. Simply put, the network device compiles several measurement configuration items into a mapping relationship table, and sends the configuration and mapping relationship corresponding to the mapping relationship table to the terminal. When the terminal device subsequently sends a measurement report to the network device, it will carry the corresponding measId so that the network device can correctly parse and process the measurement data.

[0060] Correspondingly, the terminal device can receive the measurement control message sent by the source network device.

[0061] Step 2: The terminal device performs measurement configuration based on the measurement control message and sends a measurement report to the source network device.

[0062] The terminal device measures the "peripheral cells" (including the source cell and the adjacent cells of the source cell) on the specified RAT and frequency based on the measurement configuration items included in the measurement control message sent by the network device, and sends a measurement report corresponding to the measurement event indicated by the measurement control message to the source network device.

[0063] Correspondingly, the source network device may receive the measurement report sent by the terminal device.

[0064] Step 3: The source network device makes a switching decision and prepares for switching.

[0065] After receiving the measurement report sent by the terminal device, the source network device makes a handover decision based on the measurement report and determines the target cell. In other words, the source network device determines which cell to handover to based on the measurement report. After making a handover decision, the source network device can prepare for handover, i.e., reserve resources (for example, the source network device requests the target network device to prepare the resources required by the terminal device) and generate an RRC connection reconfiguration message.

[0066] Step 4: The source network device sends an RRC connection reconfiguration message to the terminal device.

[0067] After the source network device makes a handover decision and prepares for the handover, the handover can be performed. Specifically, the source network device sends an RRC connection reconfiguration message to the terminal device. The RRC connection reconfiguration message includes the parameters required for the terminal device to access the target cell. The parameters required for the terminal device to access the target cell may include: radio resource configuration such as cell ID, carrier frequency, target power, and physical resource configuration.

[0068] For a long term evolution (LTE) network, the source network device informs the terminal device of the relevant information of the target cell through the information element (IE) of mobilityControlInfo included in the RRC connection reconfiguration message.

[0069] For the New Radio (NR) network, the source network device informs the terminal device of the relevant information of the target cell through the reconfigurationWithSync in the spCellConfig included in the RRC connection reconfiguration message.

[0070] Correspondingly, the terminal device can receive the RRC connection reconfiguration message sent by the source network device.

[0071] Step 5: The terminal device switches to the target cell based on the RRC connection reconfiguration message and sends an RRC connection reconfiguration completion message to the target cell.

[0072] After receiving the RRC connection reconfiguration message sent by the source network device, the terminal device interrupts the wireless connection with the source network device and starts to establish a new wireless connection with the target network device. During this process, data transmission is interrupted. This process includes steps such as downlink synchronization establishment, timing advance, and data transmission. When the terminal device successfully establishes a wireless connection with the target network device, the terminal device sends an RRC connection reconfiguration complete message (RRC Connection ReconfigurationComplete) to the target network device to indicate that the handover process has been completed for the terminal device.

[0073] 3. Measurement Report (MR)

[0074] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specification proposes a set of predefined measurement reporting mechanisms to be performed by terminal devices. These predefined measurement reporting types are called "events". The type of "event" that the terminal device must report is specified by the RRC signaling message sent by the network device (for example, the RRC connection reconfiguration message in the first step of the above handover process).

[0075] The event types of measurement reports are described in detail below.

[0076] (1) Event types for switching within the system

[0077] Event A1: Serving becomes better than threshold, in dBm.

[0078] Event A2: Serving becomes worse than threshold, in dBm.

[0079] Event A3: The neighboring cell (or neighboring cell, ie, adjacent cell) is better than the current serving cell by a relative value (Neighbour becomes offset better than SpCell), in dB.

[0080] Event A4: Neighbor cell quality is higher than an absolute threshold (Neighbour becomes better than threshold), unit: dBm.

[0081] Event A5: the quality of the serving cell is lower than an absolute threshold threshold1, and the quality of the neighboring cell is higher than an absolute threshold threshold2 (SpCell becomes worse than threshold1 and neighbor becomes better than threshold2), unit: dBm.

[0082] Event A6: The quality of the neighboring cell is higher than that of the secondary cell (SCell) by an absolute threshold (Neighbour becomes offset better than SCell), in dB.

[0083] (2) Event types for switching between systems

[0084] Event B1: Inter RAT neighbour becomes better than threshold, in dBm.

[0085] Event B2: The serving cell is lower than an absolute threshold threshold1, and the inter-RAT neighbor cell is better than an absolute threshold threshold2 (PCell becomes worse than threshold1 and inter RATneighbour becomes better than threshold2), unit: dBm.

[0086] It can be understood that the measurement event corresponding to the measurement report and the event type corresponding to the measurement report mentioned in this application have the same meaning.

[0087] 4. Community selection

[0088] There are two types of cell selection:

[0089] (1) Initial cell selection

[0090] When the terminal device does not store any Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) carrier frequency information (for example, when the terminal device is powered on for the first time), the terminal device can scan all E-UTRA frequency bands according to its own capabilities. Once a suitable cell is found, the terminal device will select the cell to reside in. It should be noted that on each carrier frequency, the terminal device only needs to search for the cell with the best signal quality.

[0091] (2) Cell selection based on stored information

[0092] If the terminal device has stored some previous E-UTRA carrier frequency information and some cell parameter information, the terminal device can search for these carrier frequencies and cells first. Once a suitable cell is found, the terminal device will select the cell to reside in. If no suitable cell is found in the stored information, the terminal device will start the above initial cell selection.

[0093] It should be noted that the above “finding a suitable cell” means that the cell meets the S criterion and the cell allows the terminal device to reside.

[0094] It is worth noting that during the cell selection process, regardless of whether the carrier frequency information is stored in the terminal device, the terminal device will not select a cell based on the carrier frequency priority, but only based on the cell signal quality and the S criterion.

[0095] S quasi side means: Srxlev>0 and Squal>0. That is, if a cell meets S quasi side, then the cell must meet both Srxlev>0 and Squal>0. The specific meanings of Srxlev and Squal can be referred to in relevant technical documents and will not be elaborated here.

[0096] Based on the above content, it can be known that: the cell switching is controlled by the network equipment, and the terminal equipment only performs measurements, reports and switches based on the instructions issued by the network equipment. In the communication system, when the signal of the cell where the terminal equipment is currently resident becomes weak, the measurement report may not be sent to the network equipment due to factors such as the rapid attenuation of the signal channel quality or the unreasonable configuration of the measurement and reporting threshold. The network equipment cannot receive the measurement report, and it is not aware that the terminal equipment may try to send the measurement report, which leads to the inability to switch to other cells with better signals, causing the services in the current resident cell (i.e., the service cell) to be stuck for a long time. In addition, it may also be due to the rapid movement of the terminal equipment and the obstruction of objects, the long duration of measurement or switching preparation, or the terminal equipment cannot decode the switching message sent by the network equipment. The factors such as the inability to switch to other cells with better signals in time cause the services in the current resident cell to be stuck for a long time.

[0097] Especially in the high-speed rail scenario, due to the high speed of the train and the obstruction of objects such as caves, the signal will frequently decay rapidly to a poor value. At this time, even if the terminal device reports event A3, it may not be able to successfully send A3 MR (that is, the measurement report of event type A3) to the network device. Therefore, the terminal device may not be able to receive the HO command sent by the network device, resulting in worse and worse signals and eventually radio link failure (Radio Link Failure, RLF). In this case, the terminal device can only resume service (for example, resume calls) after selecting a cell with better signal through cell selection. It can be understood that in the above process, the service interruption time is relatively long, that is, the freeze time is relatively long, which affects the user experience.

[0098] Combine the following Figure 1 This section introduces the normal process of cell switching and the process of service interruption caused by abnormal cell switching.

[0099] 1. Normal process of cell switching

[0100] like Figure 1As shown, the terminal device resides on cell A and the terminal device is in service (e.g., making calls, surfing the Internet, etc.). That is, the terminal device is performing services such as making calls and surfing the Internet based on the wireless connection between the terminal device and the network device corresponding to cell A. The network device corresponding to cell A can send a measurement control message to the terminal device. The terminal device can measure the neighboring cells of cell A based on the measurement control message. The neighboring cells of cell A include cell B. At this time, the terminal device is moving from cell A to cell B, the signal of cell A becomes weaker, and the signal of cell B becomes stronger. The terminal device determines that the reporting conditions of event A3 are currently met based on the measurement results. The terminal device sends an A3 MR to the network device corresponding to cell A. After receiving the A3 MR, the network device corresponding to cell A makes a switching judgment based on the A3 MR, determines that the target cell is cell B, and prepares for the switching (e.g., the network device corresponding to cell A communicates with the network device corresponding to cell B to determine whether cell B allows the terminal device to access). After the switching preparation is completed, the network device corresponding to cell A sends an RRC connection reconfiguration message to the terminal device. The RRC connection reconfiguration message is used to instruct the terminal device to switch to cell B. The terminal device switches from cell A to cell B based on the parameters in the RRC connection reconfiguration message, and after the handover is completed, sends an RRC connection reconfiguration completion message to the network device corresponding to cell B. In this case, the terminal device can stay in cell B for services such as calls and Internet access.

[0101] 2. Process of service freeze caused by abnormal cell switching

[0102] like Figure 1 As shown, the network device corresponding to cell B can send a measurement control message to the terminal device. The terminal device can measure cell B and the adjacent cells of cell B based on the measurement control message. The adjacent cells of cell B include cell C. At this time, the terminal device is moving from cell B to cell C, the signal of cell B becomes weaker, and the signal of cell C becomes stronger. The terminal device determines that the reporting conditions of event A3 are currently met based on the measurement results. The terminal device sends A3 MR to the network device corresponding to cell B. The network device corresponding to cell B cannot successfully receive A3 MR. The terminal device can send A3 MR to the network device corresponding to cell B multiple times. It can be understood that if the network device corresponding to cell B cannot successfully receive A3 MR, the received signal of the terminal device will continue to deteriorate, causing freezes and even service interruptions.

[0103] When the terminal device cannot switch to cell C and meets certain conditions (for details, please refer to the reasons for triggering RLF involved in the 3GPP protocol), the terminal device will have RLF and perform cell selection, choosing to reside in cell C. The terminal device establishes an RRC connection with the network device corresponding to cell C. In this case, the jam is recovered, that is, the terminal device resumes service. That is to say, in this case, the terminal device can be performing services such as calls and Internet access based on the wireless connection between it and the network device corresponding to cell C.

[0104] In some embodiments of the present application, the network device corresponding to cell B may receive the A3 MR and send a switching message to the terminal device (such as an RRC connection reconfiguration message carrying a switching indication, which may instruct the terminal device to switch to another cell). The terminal device may not be able to receive the switching message or decode the switching message.

[0105] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and related equipment. According to the communication method, the terminal device can perform services such as calls and Internet access on the source cell. The terminal device can also start timer T1 when it is determined that the reporting conditions of the preset measurement event are met and the signal of the source cell and its adjacent cell meet certain conditions, and trigger the RLF process when timer T1 times out and the terminal device does not receive a switching message. According to the RLF process, the terminal device selects a cell, and sends an RRC re-establishment request to the network device corresponding to the selected cell to establish an RRC connection with the network device corresponding to the selected cell, and continues the above-mentioned service based on the RRC connection. This method can reduce the service freeze duration caused by unsuccessful cell switching and improve the user's communication experience in the service.

[0106] In order to better understand a communication method and related equipment provided in an embodiment of the present application, the network architecture used in an embodiment of the present application is described below.

[0107] The network architecture used in the embodiments of the present application may include at least two cells and at least one terminal device.

[0108] For example, see Figure 2 , Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a network architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 As shown, the network architecture may include a terminal device, a cell A belonging to network device_a, a cell B belonging to network device_b, and a cell C belonging to network device_c. Figure 2As shown, the cell where the terminal device currently resides is cell B, and the movement trajectory of the terminal device is from cell A to cell B, and then from cell B to cell C. Among them, cell C is a neighboring cell (i.e., an adjacent cell) of cell B. In other words, cell C is a cell in at least one neighboring cell of cell B. Similarly, cell B is a cell in at least one neighboring cell of cell A.

[0109] It is understandable that the network architecture provided in the embodiment of the present application may also include more cells, and the present application does not limit this.

[0110] In some embodiments of the present application, a network device may correspond to one or more cells. Cell A, cell B, and cell C may belong to the same network device. That is, network device_a, network device_b, and network device_c may be the same network device. In this case, the terminal device performs switching within the network device. Optionally, cell A, cell B, and cell C may belong to non-identical network devices. That is, network device_a, network device_b, and network device_c may be non-identical network devices. Cell A, cell B, and cell C belong to non-identical network devices, which may specifically include: at most two of the network devices to which cell A belongs, the network devices to which cell B belongs, and the network devices to which cell C belongs are the same.

[0111] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) system, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), LTE system, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) system, Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution (EDGE) system, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) system. The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to other communication systems, such as a public land mobile network (PLMN) system, a fifth generation (5G) system or a communication system after 5G or a new wireless (NR), etc., and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0112] The terminal device in the embodiment of the present application may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), user terminal, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc. The terminal device may be a device that includes wireless transceiver functions and can cooperate with network devices to provide communication services for users. The terminal device can be a handheld terminal, a laptop computer, a subscriber unit, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a wireless data card, a personal digital assistant (PDA) computer, a tablet computer, a wireless modem, a handheld device (handheld), a laptop computer, a cordless phone or a wireless local loop (Wireless Local Loop, WLL) station, a machine type communication (MTC) terminal, a wearable device (such as a smart watch, a smart bracelet, a pedometer, etc.), a vehicle-mounted device (such as a car, a bicycle, an electric car, an airplane, a ship, a train, a high-speed rail, etc.), a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control (Industrial Control), a smart home device (such as a refrigerator, a television, an air conditioner, an electric meter, etc.), an intelligent robot, a workshop equipment, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a remote medical operation (Remote Medical Surgery), wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, flying equipment (for example, smart robots, drones) or wireless terminals in 5G networks or future communication networks, etc., which are not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0113] The network device in the embodiment of the present application can be a device for communicating with a terminal device. For example, the network device can be a base station (Base Transceiver Station, BTS) in a global system for mobile communications (Global System for Mobile Communications, GSM) system or code division multiple access (Code Division Multiple Access, CDMA), or a base station (NodeB, NB) in a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, or an evolutionary base station (eNB or eNodeB) in an LTE system, or a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (Cloud Radio Access Network, CRAN) scenario, or the network device can be a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, and a network device in a future 5G network or a network after 5G, or a network device in a future evolved PLMN network, etc., for example, a transmission point (TRP or TP) in an NR system, a base station (gNB) in an NR system, one or a group of (including multiple antenna panels) antenna panels of a base station in a 5G system, etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0114] Optionally, the base station in the embodiment of the present application may include various forms of base stations, such as: macro base stations, micro base stations (also called small stations), relay stations, access points, next-generation base stations (gNodeB, gNB), transmission points (Transmitting and Receiving Point, TRP), transmission points (Transmitting Point, TP), mobile switching centers, and devices that perform base station functions in device-to-device (Device-to-Device, D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), and machine-to-machine (Machine-to-Machine, M2M) communications, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0115] The embodiments of the present application do not particularly limit the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiments of the present application, as long as it is possible to communicate according to the method provided in the embodiments of the present application by running a program that records the code of the method provided in the embodiments of the present application. For example, the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiments of the present application may be a terminal device or a network device, or a functional module in the terminal device or the network device that can call and execute a program.

[0116] Based on the above network architecture, a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application is introduced below.

[0117] See also Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication method may include but is not limited to the following steps:

[0118] S101: The terminal device resides in cell B to perform services.

[0119] It can be understood that the current serving cell of the terminal device is cell B. That is, cell B is the source cell. The terminal device can stay in cell B for services such as calls and Internet access.

[0120] In some embodiments of the present application, the terminal device originally resides in cell A, and subsequently resides in cell B (eg, Figure 2 shown).

[0121] S102: The terminal device determines whether a reporting condition of a preset measurement event is met, and determines whether a signal of cell B and a signal of a neighboring cell of cell B meet a preset condition. Network device_b is a network device corresponding to cell B.

[0122] It is understandable that when the terminal device resides in cell B to perform services, the network device corresponding to cell B (i.e., network device_b) can send a measurement control message to the terminal device. The measurement control message may include several measurement configuration items. After receiving the measurement control message, the terminal device can measure cell B and its neighboring cells based on the several measurement configuration items included in the measurement control message to obtain measurement results. The terminal device can determine whether the reporting conditions for the measurement report of a certain event type indicated by the measurement control message are met based on the measurement results. If so, the terminal device sends the corresponding measurement report to network device_b. It is understandable that the relevant description of the measurement control message and the measurement configuration items can refer to the technical documents of the above and relevant standards, and will not be repeated here.

[0123] It is understandable that the terminal device can determine whether the reporting conditions of the preset measurement event are met based on the measurement results, and can also determine whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions based on the measurement results. If the terminal device determines that the reporting conditions of the preset measurement event are met, and determines that the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions, the terminal device can execute step S103. It is understandable that the present application does not limit the order in which the terminal device determines whether the reporting conditions of the preset measurement event are met and the terminal device determines whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions. For details, please refer to the following text and will not be explained in detail here.

[0124] In some embodiments of the present application, after the terminal device determines that the reporting conditions of the preset measurement event are met, the terminal device may further determine whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions. In this case, it can be understood that the terminal device will perform the action of determining whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions only when a specific event occurs (a specific event such as: the terminal device determines that the reporting conditions of the preset measurement event are met), so that the terminal device can perform the action of determining whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions at an appropriate time, which can save the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0125] It is understandable that if the terminal device detects that the reporting conditions of the preset measurement event are met, the terminal device can send a preset measurement report to the network device_b.

[0126] In some embodiments of the present application, after the terminal device sends a preset measurement report to the network device_b for the first time, the terminal device can determine whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions. In this case, it can be understood that the terminal device will only perform the action of determining whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions when a specific event occurs (a specific event such as: the terminal device sends a preset measurement report to the network device_b for the first time), so that the terminal device can perform the action of determining whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions at an appropriate time, which can save the power consumption of the terminal device. When the terminal device determines that the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions, the terminal device executes step S103. When the terminal device determines that the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B do not meet the preset conditions, the terminal device determines again whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions (it can be understood that the terminal device can continuously monitor whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions).

[0127] It is understandable that the terminal device can also determine whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring cell of cell B meet the preset conditions in other situations. Please refer to the following for details, which will not be elaborated here.

[0128] It should be noted that due to the influence of factors such as the location of the terminal device, the signal-to-noise ratio, signal strength, signal quality, etc. of cell B may be different at different times, and the signal-to-noise ratio, signal strength, signal quality, etc. of the neighboring cells of cell B may also be different.

[0129] It can be understood that there is a corresponding relationship between the preset measurement event and the preset measurement report. Specifically, the event type corresponding to the preset measurement report is the preset measurement event.

[0130] In some embodiments of the present application, the preset measurement event may be event A3. The preset measurement report may be A3MR.

[0131] In some other embodiments of the present application, the preset measurement event may be event A5. The preset measurement report may be A5 MR.

[0132] In some embodiments of the present application, the reporting condition of event A3 may be: within a period of time (for example, 1 second), the quality of the serving cell is higher than the quality of the neighboring cell by a certain value (for example, 5 decibels).

[0133] It is understandable that the reporting conditions of the preset measurement events can be referred to in relevant technical documents, which will not be described in detail here.

[0134] It should be noted that, as long as the signal of cell B and the signal of any neighboring cell of cell B meet the preset conditions, the terminal device can determine that the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring cell of cell B meet the preset conditions.

[0135] In some embodiments of the present application, the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring cell of cell B meet the preset conditions, which may specifically include: the signal quality of cell B is less than or equal to the preset threshold 1, and the signal quality of the neighboring cell of cell B is greater than the signal quality of cell B, and the difference between the signal quality of the neighboring cell of cell B and the signal quality of cell B is greater than or equal to the preset threshold 2. In one implementation, when the preset measurement event is an A3 event, the preset threshold 2 may be greater than or equal to the difference threshold between the neighboring cell and the current serving cell that needs to be met when the A3 event meets the reporting condition.

[0136] In some embodiments of the present application, the signal quality of cell B is less than or equal to a preset threshold 1, which may specifically include any one or more of the following: (1) the SNR of cell B is less than or equal to threshold_1; (2) the RSRP of cell B is less than or equal to threshold_2; (2) the RSRQ of cell B is less than or equal to threshold_3.

[0137] In some embodiments of the present application, the signal quality of the neighboring area of ​​cell B is greater than the signal quality of cell B, and the difference between the signal quality of the neighboring area of ​​cell B and the signal quality of cell B is greater than or equal to a preset threshold 2, which may specifically include any one or more of the following: (1) the SNR of the neighboring area of ​​cell B is greater than the SNR of cell B, and the difference between the SNR of the neighboring area of ​​cell B and the SNR of cell B is not less than a threshold value_4; (2) the RSRP of the neighboring area of ​​cell B is greater than the RSRP of cell B, and the difference between the RSRP of the neighboring area of ​​cell B and the RSRP of cell B is not less than a threshold value_5; (3) the RSRQ of the neighboring area of ​​cell B is greater than the RSRQ of cell B, and the difference between the RSRQ of the neighboring area of ​​cell B and the RSRQ of cell B is not less than a threshold value_6.

[0138] It is understandable that threshold_1, threshold_2, threshold_3, threshold_4, threshold_5 and threshold_6 can be set according to actual needs, and this application does not limit this. It is understandable that the unit of threshold_1, threshold_2, threshold_3, threshold_4, threshold_5 and threshold_6 can be decibel (dB).

[0139] In some embodiments of the present application, the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring cell of cell B meet preset conditions, which may specifically include any one of the following: (1) the SNR of cell B is less than or equal to a1, and the difference between the RSRP of the neighboring cell of cell B and the RSRP of cell B is not less than b1; or, (2) the SNR of cell B is less than or equal to a2, and the difference between the RSRP of the neighboring cell of cell B and the RSRP of cell B is not less than b2.

[0140] It can be understood that a1 is different from a2, and b1 is different from b2. Specifically, a1 may be smaller than a2, and b1 may be smaller than b2. In layman's terms, when the SNR of cell B is relatively poor (such as equal to a1), as long as the RSRP of the neighboring area of ​​cell B is slightly better than the RSRP of cell B (such as the difference between the two is not less than b1), the terminal device can determine that the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions. However, when the SNR of cell B is not particularly poor (such as equal to a2), the RSRP of the neighboring area of ​​cell B is much better than the RSRP of cell B (such as the difference between the two is not less than b2), the terminal device can determine that the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions.

[0141] It is understandable that a1, a2, b1 and b2 can be set according to actual needs, and this application does not limit this. It is understandable that the unit of a1, a2, b1 and b2 can be dB.

[0142] Exemplarily, a1 may be -8dB, b1 may be -3dB, a2 may be -6dB, and b2 may be 6dB.

[0143] In some embodiments of the present application, the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring cell of cell B meet preset conditions, which may specifically include any one of the following: (1) the SNR of cell B is less than or equal to a1, and the difference between the RSRP of the neighboring cell of cell B and the RSRP of cell B is not less than b1, and the SNR of the neighboring cell of cell B is greater than the SNR of cell B, and the difference between the SNR of the neighboring cell of cell B and the SNR of cell B is greater than a threshold value _4; (2) the SNR of cell B is less than or equal to a2, and the difference between the RSRP of the neighboring cell of cell B and the RSRP of cell B is not less than b2, and the SNR of the neighboring cell of cell B is greater than the SNR of cell B, and the difference between the SNR of the neighboring cell of cell B and the SNR of cell B is greater than a threshold value _4.

[0144] It can be understood that the difference between the two values ​​mentioned in this application refers to the difference obtained by subtracting the smaller value from the larger value of the two values.

[0145] It can be understood that the full name of SNR in English is SIGNAL NOISE RATIO, that is, signal-to-noise ratio. SNR generally refers to the signal to interference plus noise ratio (Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio, SINR), which refers to the ratio of the strength of the received useful signal to the strength of the received interference signal (noise and interference). The full name of RSRP in English is Reference Signal Receiving Power, that is, reference signal received power. RSRP is a key parameter that can represent the strength of the wireless signal in the LTE network and one of the physical layer measurement requirements. It is the average value of the signal power received on all REs (resource elements) carrying the reference signal in a symbol. The full name of RSRQ in English is Reference Singnal Received Quality, that is, reference signal received quality. RSRQ mainly measures the reception quality of the downlink specific cell reference signal. RSRQ is defined as N*RSRP / RSSI. Among them, N is the number of resource blocks (RBs) of the LTE carrier received signal strength indicator (Received Signal Strength Indicator, RSSI) measurement bandwidth.

[0146] It should be noted that, if the terminal device fails to successfully obtain the switching message replied by the network side within the preset time after sending the preset measurement report to the network device_b for the first time, the terminal device may send the preset measurement report to the network device_b multiple times.

[0147] S103: The terminal device starts timer T1.

[0148] When the terminal device determines that the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring cell of cell B meet the preset conditions, the terminal device starts timer T1.

[0149] It is understandable that the duration defined by the timer T1 can be set according to actual needs, and the present application does not impose specific restrictions on this. For example, the duration defined by the timer T1 can be 300 milliseconds (ms). For another example, the duration defined by the timer T1 can be 500 ms.

[0150] In some embodiments of the present application, the duration defined by timer T1 may refer to the trigger duration of RLF. RLF triggering reasons may include: handover failure caused by wireless interference, cell warning, equipment problem, terminal problem, neighboring cell missing configuration, etc., weak wireless network coverage, cell base station asynchrony, and target cell full load, etc.

[0151] According to the 3GPP protocol, the RLF triggering reasons may specifically include the following: in a possible implementation, the terminal device triggers the RLF process due to the expiration of the timer T310; in a possible implementation, the terminal device triggers the RLF process due to the random access problem indication of the MCG (Master Cell Group) MAC (Medium Access Control); in a possible implementation, the terminal device triggers the RLF process due to the maximum number of retransmissions of the MCG RLC (Radio Link Control); in a possible implementation, the terminal device triggers the RLF process due to an uplink LBT (Listen Before Talk) failure; in a possible implementation, the terminal device triggers the RLF process due to a BH (Backhaul Link) RLF indication received on the BAP (Backhaul Adaptation Protocol) entity, and the IAB-MT (Integrated Access and Backhaul-Mobile Termination) triggers the RLF process. It can be understood that the specific meanings of MCG MAC, MCG RLC, LBT, BAP, BH RLF and IAB-MT can be referred to the relevant protocols and will not be elaborated here.

[0152] The terminal device triggering the radio link failure RLF process in advance mentioned in some embodiments of the present application can be understood as, if in the same scenario, the moment when the terminal device triggers RLF in this scheme is earlier than the moment when the RLF is triggered according to the standard protocol without adopting this scheme.

[0153] In some embodiments of the present application, the duration defined by timer T1 may be less than the duration defined by timer T310. The duration of the timer T310 may be the duration of T310 specified in the standard protocol, or the duration of T310 adjusted in the terminal device. In this way, timer T1 may time out faster than timer T310, so that the terminal device triggers the RLF process faster, thereby reducing the service jam duration. In some embodiments of the present application, the duration defined by timer T310 is 1 second (s). It can be understood that timer T310 is used to monitor the waiting time for radio link failure. When the UE performs radio link detection, when the number of downlink out-of-sync indications (out of sync) received continuously is equal to N310, the start of timer T310 is triggered. If the number of downlink synchronization indications (insync) received continuously is equal to N311 during the continuation of T310, the T310 timer is stopped to indicate that the link synchronization has been restored. If timer T310 times out, it is considered that a radio link failure is detected, and the RRC re-establishment process will be initiated.

[0154] S104: If the timer T1 times out but the terminal device has not received the handover message, the terminal device determines to trigger the RLF process. According to the RLF process, the terminal device performs cell selection and chooses to reside in cell C. Cell C is a neighboring cell of cell B.

[0155] If the terminal device does not receive the handover message sent by the network device_b within the time defined by the timer T1, that is, the timer T1 times out but the terminal device has not received the handover message, the terminal device can select a cell to reside in again, and finally choose to reside in cell C. It can be understood that cell C is a neighboring cell of cell B. Specifically, cell C is one of at least one neighboring cell of cell B.

[0156] It is understandable that the handover message may include parameters required for the terminal device to access the target cell, such as cell ID, carrier frequency, target power and other radio resources and physical resource configurations, etc. In some embodiments of the present application, the handover message may be an RRC connection reconfiguration message.

[0157] In some embodiments of the present application, if the timer T1 times out but the terminal device has not received the handover message, the terminal device triggers the RLF process. According to the RLF process, the terminal device performs cell selection and selects to reside in cell C with a better signal. In some embodiments of the present application, cell C is the cell with the strongest signal among at least one neighboring cell of cell B.

[0158] It can be understood that if the terminal device receives a switching message sent by the network device _b within the duration defined by the timer T1, the terminal device can perform a cell switch based on the switching message and can terminate the timer T1.

[0159] S105: According to the RLF process, the terminal device establishes an RRC connection with the network device_c through the RRC re-establishment process. The network device_c is the network device corresponding to the cell C.

[0160] After the terminal device chooses to reside in cell C, it can establish an RRC connection with network device _c. In some embodiments of the present application, the terminal device determines that the RLF condition is met and resides in cell C through cell selection. In this case, the terminal device initiates the RRC re-establishment process. Specifically, the terminal device is ready to send an RRC re-establishment request (RRC Connection Reestablishment Request) to network device _c. Before the terminal device sends an RRC re-establishment request to network device _c, random access is first required. It can be understood that the RRC re-establishment process and the random access process can refer to the relevant technical documents, which will not be described in detail here.

[0161] S106: The terminal device continues to perform the service through the RRC connection.

[0162] After the terminal device establishes an RRC connection with the network device_c, the service mentioned in step S101 can be continued through the RRC connection.

[0163] Compared with the existing solutions, some embodiments provided in some embodiments of the present application can trigger the RLF process in advance when certain conditions are met (such as: the reporting conditions of the preset measurement events are met, and the signal of the first cell and the signal of the adjacent cell of the first cell meet the preset conditions), thereby shortening the time for the terminal device to trigger the cell switching in the scenario where the cell switching is required, so that the terminal device can switch to other cells with better signals as soon as possible (by selecting cells to change to other cells) when the conditions for cell switching are met. The terminal device will not wait for a long time in the current cell with poor signal (during this period of time, the service will be stuck) before triggering RLF and switching to other cells due to failure to receive the switching message sent by the network side. This shortens the time from the terminal device discovering that the current cell signal is poor to switching to other cells, thereby shortening the stuck time of the terminal device during the service.

[0164] Combine the following Figure 4 A specific implementation of the above embodiment is introduced.

[0165] See also Figure 4 , Figure 4A flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication method may include but is not limited to the following steps:

[0166] S201: The terminal device resides in cell B to perform services.

[0167] It can be understood that the current serving cell of the terminal device is cell B. The terminal device can stay in cell B for services such as making calls and surfing the Internet.

[0168] S202: Network device_b sends a measurement control message to the terminal device. Network device_b is the network device corresponding to cell B.

[0169] It is understood that when the terminal device resides in cell B for business, the network device corresponding to cell B (ie, network device_b) can send a measurement control message to the terminal device. The measurement control message may include several measurement configuration items. It is understood that the relevant description of the measurement control message and the measurement configuration items can refer to the above and related technical documents, and will not be repeated here.

[0170] Correspondingly, the terminal device can receive the measurement control message sent by network device_b.

[0171] S203: As the terminal device moves from cell B to cell C, the signal of cell B quickly weakens, and the signal of cell C becomes stronger. The terminal device measures cell B and its neighboring cells based on the measurement control message, obtains the measurement results, and determines that the reporting conditions of event A3 are currently met based on the measurement results. The neighboring cells of cell B include cell C.

[0172] On the one hand, as the terminal device moves from cell B to cell C, the signal of cell B quickly weakens and the signal of cell C becomes stronger. On the other hand, after the terminal device receives the measurement control message sent by network device_b, it can measure cell B and its adjacent cells based on the measurement control message to obtain the measurement result. It can be understood that the measurement result can indicate that the signal of cell B is strong and the signal of cell C is weak. The terminal device can determine that the reporting condition of event A3 is currently met based on the measurement result.

[0173] In some embodiments of the present application, when a terminal device moves quickly from cell B to cell C, or when an object blocks the terminal device's movement from cell B to cell C, the signal of cell B will quickly weaken.

[0174] It is understandable that the description of the reporting conditions of event A3 can be found in the above text and related technical documents, and will not be elaborated here.

[0175] S204: The terminal device sends an A3 MR to the network device_b.

[0176] After the terminal device detects that the reporting condition of event A3 is currently met, it can send an A3 MR to network device_b. In some embodiments, within a preset time after the terminal device sends the A3 MR, the terminal device fails to successfully obtain the switching message replied by network device_b according to the A3 MR, such as:

[0177] In one case, if Figure 4 As shown, the network device_b fails to successfully receive the A3 MR sent by the terminal device;

[0178] Or, in another case, the network device_b can successfully receive the A3 MR sent by the terminal device, but the network device_b fails to normally send a switching message to the terminal device (the network device_b may fail);

[0179] Or, in another case, the network device_b can successfully receive the A3 MR sent by the terminal device and send a switching message to the terminal device, but the terminal device fails to successfully receive the switching message or cannot decode the switching message.

[0180] In the above-mentioned various situations, the terminal device may send A3 MR to the network device_b multiple times.

[0181] S205: The terminal device determines whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring cell of cell B meet preset conditions.

[0182] It is understandable that the terminal device may first execute step S203 and then execute step S205, or may first execute step S205 and then execute step S203, or may execute step S203 and step S205 at the same time. This application does not limit the order in which the terminal device executes step S203 and step S205.

[0183] In some embodiments of the present application, after the terminal device detects whether the reporting conditions of event A3 are currently met (in one embodiment, it may be after detecting that the reporting conditions of event A3 are currently met), it may determine whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions. In this case, the interval between the moment when the terminal device detects whether the reporting conditions of event A3 are currently met and the moment when the terminal device determines whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions is short. For example, the interval between the moment when the terminal device detects whether the reporting conditions of event A3 are currently met and the moment when the terminal device determines whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions is less than the preset duration_1. It is understandable that the preset duration_1 can be set according to actual needs, and the present application does not limit this. For example, the preset duration_1 can be 1s.

[0184] In some embodiments of the present application, while detecting whether the reporting conditions of event A3 are currently met, the terminal device can also determine whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring cell of cell B meet preset conditions.

[0185] In some embodiments of the present application, before detecting whether the reporting conditions of event A3 are currently met, the terminal device may determine whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions. In this case, the interval between the moment when the terminal device determines whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions and the moment when the terminal device detects whether the reporting conditions of event A3 are currently met is short. For example, the interval between the moment when the terminal device detects whether the reporting conditions of event A3 are currently met and the moment when the terminal device determines whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions is less than the preset duration_2. It is understandable that the preset duration_1 can be set according to actual needs, and the present application does not limit this. For example, the preset duration_2 can be 1s.

[0186] It is understandable that the terminal device may first execute step S204 and then execute step S205, or may first execute step S205 and then execute step S204, or may execute step S204 and step S205 at the same time. This application does not limit the order in which the terminal device executes step S204 and step S205.

[0187] In some embodiments of the present application, the terminal device may determine whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions after sending the A3 MR to the network device _b for the first time. In this case, the interval between the moment when the terminal device sends the A3 MR to the network device _b for the first time and the moment when the terminal device determines whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions is short. For example, the interval between the moment when the terminal device sends the A3 MR to the network device _b for the first time and the moment when the terminal device determines whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions is less than the preset duration _3. It is understandable that the preset duration _3 can be set according to actual needs, and the present application does not limit this. For example, the preset duration _3 can be 1s.

[0188] In some embodiments of the present application, when the terminal device sends the A3 MR to the network device_b for the first time, it can also determine whether the signal of the cell B and the signal of the neighboring cell of the cell B meet the preset conditions.

[0189] In some embodiments of the present application, after the terminal device determines whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions, the terminal device can send A3 MR to network device _b for the first time. In this case, the interval between the moment when the terminal device determines whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions and the moment when the terminal device first sends A3 MR to network device _b is short. For example, the interval between the moment when the terminal device determines whether the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring area of ​​cell B meet the preset conditions and the moment when the terminal device first sends A3 MR to network device _b is less than the preset duration _4. It is understandable that the preset duration _4 can be set according to actual needs, and the present application does not limit this. For example, the preset duration _4 can be 1s.

[0190] It can be understood that preset duration_1, preset duration_2, preset duration_3 and preset duration_4 can be the same or different, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0191] It is understandable that the relevant description of the preset conditions can be found above and will not be repeated here.

[0192] S206: The terminal device starts timer T1.

[0193] When the terminal device determines that the signal of cell B and the signal of the neighboring cell of cell B meet the preset conditions, the terminal device starts timer T1. It can be understood that the interval between the terminal device executing step S205 and step S206 is short. The description of the short interval can be referred to above, and will not be elaborated here. The description of timer T1 can be referred to above, and will not be repeated here.

[0194] It can be understood that since the terminal device executes step S206 only after executing step S205, and the present application does not limit the order in which the terminal device executes step S205 and step S204, the terminal device can execute step S204 first and then step S206, or can execute step S206 first and then step S204, or can execute step S204 and step S206 at the same time. The present application does not limit the order in which the terminal device executes step S204 and step S206. It is understandable that, since the interval between the terminal device executing step S203 and step S205 is short, and the interval between the terminal device executing step S204 and step S205 is short, and the terminal device executes step S203 before executing step S204, the terminal device can execute step S204 before executing step S206, or can execute step S206 before executing step S204, or can execute step S204 and step S206 at the same time. This application does not limit the order in which the terminal device executes step S204 and step S206. It is understandable that, similar to the above, when the terminal device executes step S204 before executing step S206, or executes step S206 before executing step S204, the interval between the terminal device executing step S204 and step S206 is short. Among them, the relevant description of the short interval can be referred to above, and will not be explained in detail here.

[0195] S207: If the timer T1 times out but the terminal device does not receive the handover message, the terminal device triggers the RLF process. According to the RLF process, the terminal device performs cell selection and chooses to reside in cell C.

[0196] It is understandable that the terminal device may send A3 MR multiple times before the timer T1 expires, in order to receive the switching message sent by the network side according to the A3 MR.

[0197] If the terminal device does not receive the handover message within the time defined by timer T1, that is, timer T1 times out but the terminal device does not receive the handover message, the terminal device triggers the RLF process. According to the RLF process, the terminal device can select a cell. Based on the cell selection rules, the terminal device can choose to reside in cell C. Cell C is an adjacent cell of cell B.

[0198] It should be noted that the signal of cell C is better than the signal of cell B. For example, the signal strength of cell C is greater than the signal strength of cell B. For example, the signal quality of cell C is better than the signal quality of cell B.

[0199] It can be understood that the relevant description of the switching message can be referred to above and will not be repeated here.

[0200] S208: According to the RLF process, the terminal device establishes an RRC connection with the network device_c through the RRC re-establishment process. The network device_c is the network device corresponding to the cell C.

[0201] After the terminal device determines that the RLF condition has been met and chooses to reside in cell C, it can initiate an RRC re-establishment process (such as sending an RRC re-establishment request) to establish an RRC connection with network device_c. Wherein, network device_c is the network device corresponding to cell C.

[0202] It can be understood that the RRC re-establishment and RRC connection re-establishment mentioned in this application have the same meaning.

[0203] S209: The terminal device continues to perform the service through the RRC connection.

[0204] After the terminal device establishes an RRC connection with the network device_c, the service mentioned in step S201 can be continued based on the RRC connection.

[0205] The following is an introduction to the device involved in the embodiments of the present application.

[0206] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0207] like Figure 5 As shown, the structure of the terminal device may include: a processor, an external memory interface, an internal memory, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, a charging management module, a power management module, a battery, an antenna 1, an antenna 2, a mobile communication module, a wireless communication module, a sensor module, a button, a motor, an indicator, a camera, a display screen, and a SIM card slot, etc. The audio module may include a speaker, a receiver, a microphone, an earphone interface, etc., and the sensor module may include a pressure sensor, a gyroscope sensor, an air pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a distance sensor, a proximity light sensor, a fingerprint sensor, a temperature sensor, a touch sensor, an ambient light sensor, a bone conduction sensor, etc.

[0208] It is to be understood that the structure illustrated in the embodiments of the present application does not constitute a specific limitation on the terminal device. In other embodiments, the terminal device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or split certain components, or arrange the components differently. The components shown in the figure may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0209] The processor may include one or more processing units, for example, the processor may include an application processor (AP), a modem (also called a baseband processor), a graphics processor (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a controller, a video codec, a digital signal processor (DSP), and / or a neural-network processing unit (NPU). Different processing units may be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors. The processor is the nerve center and command center of the terminal device. The controller may generate an operation control signal according to the instruction opcode and timing signal to complete the control of fetching and executing instructions.

[0210] The wireless communication function of the terminal device can be implemented through antenna 1, antenna 2, mobile communication module, wireless communication module, and Modem, etc. In some embodiments, the antenna 1 of the terminal device is coupled with the mobile communication module, and the antenna 2 is coupled with the wireless communication module, so that the terminal device can communicate with the network and other devices through wireless communication technology.

[0211] The operating system of the terminal device can adopt a layered architecture, an event-driven architecture, a micro-core architecture, a micro-service architecture, or a cloud architecture. The embodiment of the present application takes the Android system of the layered architecture as an example to exemplify the software structure of the terminal device.

[0212] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the software structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0213] The software structure of the terminal device adopts a layered architecture, which divides the software into several layers, each with a clear role and division of labor. The layers communicate with each other through software interfaces. Taking the Android system, the Android system running on the AP as an example, in some embodiments, the Android system is divided into five layers, from top to bottom, namely, the application layer, the application framework layer (Framework), the Android runtime (Android runtime) and the system library, the hardware abstraction layer (HAL) and the system kernel layer (Kernel).

[0214] Among them, the application layer may include a series of application packages. Application packages may include camera, gallery, calendar, call, map, WLAN, Bluetooth, music, video, short message and other APPs. The application layer may also include system UI (system UI). System UI is used to display the interface of the terminal device, such as displaying the signal icon corresponding to the SIM card, displaying the call interface, etc. The application framework layer provides an application programming interface (Application Programming Interface, API) and a programming framework for the applications in the application layer. The application framework layer includes some predefined functions. For example, the application framework layer may include a window manager, a content provider, a view system, a phone manager, a resource manager, a notification manager, etc. The phone manager is used to provide call functions for the terminal device, such as management of call status (including connecting, hanging up, etc.). The phone manager is in Figure 6 The application framework layer may also include a Radio Interface Layer (RIL), and a modem processor (Modem) may exchange information with the telephony through the RIL.

[0215] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, a person of ordinary skill in the art should understand that the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments may still be modified, or some of the technical features thereof may be replaced by equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a terminal device; the method comprises: The terminal equipment resides in the first cell to perform services; The terminal device determines whether a reporting condition of a preset measurement event is met, and determines whether a signal of the first cell and a signal of a cell adjacent to the first cell meet a preset condition; the first cell is a current serving cell of the terminal device; When a reporting condition of the preset measurement event is met and a signal of the first cell and a signal of a cell adjacent to the first cell meet the preset condition, the terminal device starts a first timer; When the first timer times out but the terminal device does not receive a switching message, the terminal device triggers a radio link failure RLF process in advance, and the switching message is used to instruct the terminal device to perform a cell switching; According to the RLF process, the terminal device performs cell selection and chooses to reside in the second cell; According to the RLF process, the terminal device establishes an RRC connection with the network device corresponding to the second cell through a radio resource control RRC re-establishment process; The terminal device continues to perform the service through the RRC connection.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The preset conditions include: the signal quality of the first cell is less than or equal to a first preset threshold, the signal quality of the second cell is greater than the signal quality of the first cell, and the difference between the signal quality of the second cell and the signal quality of the first cell is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The signal quality of the first cell is less than or equal to a first preset threshold, specifically including at least one of the following: a signal-to-noise ratio of the first cell is less than or equal to a first threshold; or, a reference signal received power of the first cell is less than or equal to a second threshold; or, a reference signal received quality of the first cell is less than or equal to a third threshold; The signal quality of the second cell is greater than the signal quality of the first cell, and the difference between the signal quality of the second cell and the signal quality of the first cell is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold, specifically including at least one of the following: a signal-to-noise ratio of the second cell is greater than or equal to a signal-to-noise ratio of the first cell, and the difference between the signal-to-noise ratio of the second cell and the signal-to-noise ratio of the first cell is greater than or equal to a fourth threshold; or, a reference signal received power of the second cell is greater than or equal to a reference signal received power of the first cell, and the difference between the reference signal received power of the second cell and the reference signal received power of the first cell is greater than or equal to a fifth threshold; or, a reference signal received quality of the second cell is greater than or equal to a reference signal received quality of the first cell, and the difference between the reference signal received quality of the second cell and the reference signal received quality of the first cell is greater than or equal to a sixth threshold.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The method further includes: when a reporting condition of the preset measurement event is met, the terminal device sends at least one preset measurement report, the preset measurement report corresponding to the preset measurement event; The terminal device triggers the RLF process in advance including: the duration from the first time the terminal device sends the preset measurement report to the timeout of the first timer is less than the duration from the first time the terminal device sends the preset measurement report to the timeout of timer T310.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The terminal device triggers the RLF process in advance including: the duration of the first timer is less than the duration of timer T310.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The terminal device triggers the RLF process in advance including: the duration of the first timer is 300 milliseconds or 500 milliseconds.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The terminal device triggering the RLF process in advance includes: The duration from when the terminal device sends a preset measurement report corresponding to the preset measurement event for the first time to when the first timer times out satisfies at least one of the following: is less than the time from when the terminal device sends the preset measurement report for the first time to when an uplink listen-before-talk LBT failure occurs; Less than the duration from the first time the terminal device sends the preset measurement report to the time the terminal device receives the random access problem indication from the primary cell group media access control MCG MAC; is less than the duration from the first time the terminal device sends the preset measurement report to the time when the number of retransmissions of the master cell group radio link control MCG RLC reaches the maximum value; Less than the time from the first time the terminal device sends the preset measurement report to the time the backhaul link radio link failure BH RLF indication is received on the backhaul adaptation protocol BAP entity.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The moment when the terminal device starts the first timer is earlier than the moment when the terminal device first sends a preset measurement report corresponding to the preset measurement event to the network device corresponding to the first cell, and the interval between the moment when the terminal device starts the first timer and the moment when the terminal device first sends the preset measurement report to the network device corresponding to the first cell is short; Or the time when the terminal device starts the first timer is later than the time when the terminal device first sends the preset measurement report to the network device corresponding to the first cell, and the time when the terminal device starts the first timer and the time when the terminal device first sends the preset measurement report to the network device corresponding to the first cell are shorter than the time when the terminal device starts the first timer; Or the moment when the terminal device starts the first timer is the same as the moment when the terminal device sends the preset measurement report to the network device corresponding to the first cell for the first time.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The preset measurement event is event A3 or event A5.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that The second cell is a cell with the strongest signal among one or more neighboring cells of the first cell.

11. A terminal device, characterized in that: The terminal device comprises a processor and a memory, wherein the processor calls and executes a computer program stored in the memory, so that the terminal device implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A chip system, applied to a terminal device, characterized in that: The chip system includes at least one processor and an interface, wherein the interface is used to receive instructions and transmit them to the at least one processor; the at least one processor executes the instructions so that the terminal device executes the method described in any one of claims 1-10.

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