Method, terminal and storage medium for reconstructing RRC connection

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method, a terminal, and a storage medium for reconstructing an RRC connection. In this method, the terminal determines a PDCP for initiating an RRC connection reconstruction process based on knowledge of the packet data convergence protocol PDCP supported by a first base station, where the PDCP is a first PDCP or a second PDCP. The terminal initiates an RRC connection reconstruction process to the first base station based on the first PDCP or the second PDCP.

Description

[0001] Cross - reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 592,112, filed on November 29, 2017, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to the field of mobile communications, and particularly to a method, a terminal, and a computer - readable storage medium for reconstructing a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection.

[0004] Background

[0005] In a Long - Term Evolution (LTE) system, when there is a Radio Link Failure (RLF), Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection reconstruction is performed. As Figure 1 shown, when there is an RLF, a User Equipment (UE) 10 can send an RRC connection reconstruction request message 102 to an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN) 12, particularly to a serving cell or an adjacent cell. If there is context in the corresponding eNodeB (eNB), the RRC connection can be reconstructed. Specifically, the UE can receive an RRC connection reconstruction message 104 from the eNB and then transmit an RRC connection reconstruction complete message 106 to the eNB to indicate that the RRC connection reconstruction is complete. In this way, the UE does not need to enter the idle state and then spend a considerable number of signaling steps to establish an RRC connection from a Random Access Channel (RACH) procedure.

[0006] For example, if the eNB supports a network mode, i.e., Long - Term Evolution - New Radio (LTE - NR) Dual Connectivity (DC), it means that the LTE eNB is enhanced and thus can be configured with the functions of an NR gNB to work in the dual - connectivity mode. In this mode, the LTE eNB provides a Primary Cell (PCell) and a serving cell as a Master Node (MN), and the NR gNB provides a Secondary Cell (SCell) and a serving cell as a Secondary Node (SN). Particularly in the case of DC, although LTE RRC is used for the primary cell in the master node, LTE Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) may not always be used. During initial access, the UE can use LTE PDCP to send MSG1 / 3 to the eNB; however, after the Signaling Resource Bearer 2 (SRB2) and Data Resource Bearer (DRB) are configured, NR - PDCP can be used for the DRB and SRB in the MN.

[0007] When the RRC connection of the LTE primary cell needs to be re-established, for example due to RLF, the UE can send an RRC re-establishment request to an eNB supporting NR PDCP or a traditional eNB not supporting NR PDCP. However, how to correctly handle the RRC connection re-establishment process between the user equipment and the base station is a problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In view of the above problems, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method, a terminal, and a computer-readable storage medium for re-establishing an RRC connection.

[0009] In a first aspect, a method for re-establishing an RRC connection is provided. The method includes the following operations performed by a terminal: determining a PDCP for initiating an RRC connection re-establishment process based on knowledge of the packet data convergence protocol PDCP supported by a first base station, where the PDCP is a first PDCP or a second PDCP; and initiating an RRC connection re-establishment process to the first base station based on the first PDCP or the second PDCP.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the operation of determining a PDCP for initiating an RRC connection re-establishment process based on knowledge of the PDCP supported by the first base station may include: determining a PDCP for initiating an RRC connection re-establishment process based on knowledge of the dual connectivity (DC) network mode supported by the first base station, where if the first base station supports the DC network mode, the first base station supports the second PDCP.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first base station supports the second PDCP, and initiating an RRC connection re-establishment process to the first base station based on the first PDCP or the second PDCP includes: when the terminal knows that the first base station supports the second PDCP, the terminal transmits an RRC connection re-establishment request message to the first base station based on the second PDCP to initiate an RRC connection re-establishment process between the terminal and the first base station; or when the terminal does not know that the first base station supports the second PDCP, the terminal transmits an RRC connection reconfiguration request message based on the second PDCP to initiate an RRC connection re-establishment process between the terminal and the first base station.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first base station supports the second PDCP, and the operation of initiating an RRC connection re-establishment process to the first base station based on the first PDCP or the second PDCP may include: when the terminal does not know that the first base station supports the second PDCP, the terminal transmits an RRC connection re-establishment request message based on the first PDCP.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the first base station supports both the first PDCP and the second PDCP, after the RRC connection reestablishment process between the terminal based on the first PDCP and the first base station is completed, the method may further include the following operations: switching from the first PDCP to the second PDCP together with the first base station; and performing a security mode command process with the first base station based on the second PDCP.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method may further include the following operations: receiving, from the first base station, an RRC connection failure message caused by a decoding failure of an RRC connection reestablishment request message transmitted by the terminal based on the first PDCP; or receiving, from the first base station, an RRC connection reestablishment message, where the first base station may use both the first PDCP and the second PDCP to decode the RRC connection reestablishment request message transmitted by the terminal based on the first PDCP.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first base station is a master node in a DC network.

[0016] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first base station does not support the second PDCP; and the operations of initiating an RRC connection reestablishment process to the first base station based on the first PDCP or the second PDCP may include: when the terminal knows that the first base station does not support the second PDCP or when the terminal does not know that the first base station does not support the second PDCP, transmitting an RRC connection reestablishment request message to the first base station based on the first PDCP; and restoring the RRC connection with the first base station by using the RRC connection reestablishment request message based on the first PDCP.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method may further include the following operations: deciding to release a secondary cell group (SCG) bearer; or deciding to retain the SCG bearer and then moving the SCG bearer to the first base station.

[0018] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first base station does not support the second PDCP, and the method may further include the following operations: when the terminal does not know that the first base station does not support the second PDCP, transmitting an RRC connection reestablishment request message to the first base station based on the second PDCP, and receiving, from the first base station, an RRC connection failure message caused by a decoding failure of the RRC connection reestablishment request message transmitted by the terminal based on the second PDCP.

[0019] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first PDCP is a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) PDCP, and the second PDCP is a New Radio (NR) PDCP.

[0020] In a second aspect, a terminal is provided. The terminal may include a determination unit and an RRC connection unit. The determination unit is configured to determine a PDCP for initiating a radio resource control (RRC) connection reestablishment procedure based on knowledge of the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) supported by a first base station, where the PDCP is a first PDCP or a second PDCP. The RRC connection unit is configured to initiate an RRC connection reestablishment procedure to the first base station based on the first PDCP or the second PDCP.

[0021] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the determination unit is configured to determine a PDCP for initiating an RRC connection reestablishment procedure based on knowledge of the network mode of dual connectivity (DC) supported by the first base station. If the first base station supports the DC network mode, the first base station supports the second PDCP.

[0022] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first base station supports the second PDCP, and the RRC connection unit is configured to: in the case of knowing that the first base station supports the second PDCP, transmit an RRC connection reestablishment request message to the first base station based on the second PDCP to initiate an RRC connection reestablishment procedure between the terminal and the first base station based on the second PDCP; or in the case of not knowing that the first base station supports the second PDCP, transmit an RRC connection reconfiguration request message to the first base station based on the second PDCP to initiate an RRC connection reestablishment procedure between the terminal and the first base station based on the second PDCP.

[0023] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first base station supports the second PDCP, and the RRC connection unit is configured to transmit an RRC connection reestablishment request message to the first base station based on the first PDCP in the case of not knowing that the first base station supports the second PDCP.

[0024] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the case where the first base station supports both the first PDCP and the second PDCP, after the RRC connection reestablishment procedure between the RRC connection unit based on the first PDCP and the first base station is completed, the terminal switches from the first PDCP to the second PDCP together with the first base station; and a security mode command procedure is performed with the first base station based on the second PDCP.

[0025] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the RRC connection unit is further configured to: receive an RRC connection failure message from the first base station due to a decoding failure of an RRC connection reestablishment request message transmitted based on the first PDCP; or receive an RRC connection reestablishment message from the first base station, where the first base station may use both the first PDCP and the second PDCP to decode the RRC connection reestablishment request message transmitted based on the first PDCP.

[0026] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first base station that supports the second PDCP is the master node in a dual connectivity (DC) network.

[0027] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first base station does not support the second PDCP, and the RRC connection unit is configured to: transmit an RRC connection reestablishment request message to the first base station based on the first PDCP, with or without knowing that the first base station does not support the second PDCP; and restore the RRC connection with the first base station by using the RRC connection reestablishment request message based on the first PDCP.

[0028] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal may further include a decision unit configured to decide to release the secondary cell group (SCG) bearer; or decide to maintain the SCG bearer and then move the SCG bearer to the first base station.

[0029] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first base station does not support the second PDCP, and the RRC connection unit is configured to: transmit an RRC connection reestablishment request message to the first base station based on the second PDCP without knowing that the first base station does not support the second PDCP; and receive an RRC connection failure message from the first base station due to decoding failure of the RRC connection reestablishment request message transmitted based on the second PDCP.

[0030] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first PDCP is a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) PDCP and the second PDCP is a New Radio (NR) PDCP. In a third aspect, a terminal is provided. The terminal includes a processor and a memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to execute the method according to the first aspect.

[0031] In a fourth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to execute the method according to the first aspect.

[0032] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the UE is configured such that the UE and a base station (e.g., a traditional eNB that does not support NR PDCP or an eNB that supports NR PDCP) can appropriately handle the RRC connection reestablishment process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] To more clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings required to be used in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. Based on these drawings, those skilled in the art can further obtain other drawings without creative efforts.

[0034] Figure 1Shows a schematic diagram of the RRC connection reestablishment process.

[0035] Figure 2 Shows a flowchart of a method for reestablishing an RRC connection according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 3 Shows a flowchart of an application example according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 4 Shows a block diagram of a device for reestablishing an RRC connection according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0038] Figure 5 Shows a block diagram of a terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0039] Detailed description

[0040] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solutions of the present disclosure, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are not all embodiments of the present disclosure, but a part of the embodiments of the present disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in the present disclosure without creative work will fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0041] The terms "first", "second", etc. used in the specification, claims and drawings of the present disclosure are not for describing a specific order, but for distinguishing similar objects. In addition, the terms "comprising" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product or device including a series of operations or units is not limited to the listed operations or units, but may further include unlisted operations or units, or further include other operations or units inherent in the process, method, product or device.

[0042] The "embodiments" mentioned in the present disclosure mean that the specific features, structures or properties described in connection with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The appearance of this phrase at each position in the specification may not always mean the same embodiment, and may also be an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments. Those skilled in the art understand explicitly and implicitly that the embodiments described in the present disclosure can be combined with other embodiments.

[0043] To better understand the features and technical content of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the implementation of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are provided only for reference and do not limit the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0044] First, a method for establishing a connection between a terminal and a base station will be described in detail, particularly a method for reconstructing an RRC connection.

[0045] Figure 2 A flowchart of a method for reconstructing an RRC connection according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. As Figure 2 shown, the method for reconstructing an RRC connection includes operations in the following blocks. The method can start from block 201.

[0046] In block 201, the terminal determines the PDCP for initiating the RRC connection reconstruction process based on its knowledge of the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) supported by the first base station. The PDCP is either the first PDCP or the second PDCP.

[0047] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal can be a mobile phone, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a desktop computer, or any other device capable of connecting to a mobile communication network.

[0048] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first base station can be an eNode B (eNB) in an LTE system, and the corresponding DC network can be an LTE-NR dual-connection (EN-DC) network; or the first base station can be a base station in another mobile communication system, such as a gNB in a 5G NR system.

[0049] There may be several situations regarding the terminal's knowledge of the PDCP supported by the first base station. For example, the terminal knows that the first base station supports the first PDCP and knows that the first base station supports the second PDCP; the terminal knows that the first base station supports the first PDCP but does not know that the first base station supports the second PDCP; the terminal knows that the first base station supports the first PDCP and knows that the first base station does not support the second PDCP; the terminal knows that the first base station supports the first PDCP but does not know that the first base station does not support the second PDCP; and so on. The terminal can know the PDCP supported by the first base station through previous interactions with the first base station.

[0050] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, if the base station supports the DC mode, the base station supports the second PDCP. For example, the first base station in the DC network is an eNB in the LTE system, the second base station in the DC network is a gNB in the NR system, the first PDCP is LTE PDCP, the second PDCP is NR PDCP, and if the base station supports the DC mode, the first base station supports NR PDCP. Therefore, the method can be executed based on whether the terminal knows the situation of whether the first base station supports / does not support the DC network mode. Specifically, the terminal can determine the PDCP for initiating the RRC connection reconstruction process based on its knowledge of the dual-connection (DC) network mode supported by the first base station. Assuming that the first base station supports the DC network mode, the first base station supports the second PDCP.

[0051] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, there are two cases regarding whether the first base station supports the second PDCP.

[0052] Case 1: The first base station supports the second PDCP.

[0053] Case 2: The first base station does not support the second PDCP.

[0054] Here, in each of the above cases, there are the following corresponding situations on the terminal side.

[0055] In Case 1: 1) The terminal knows that the first base station supports the second PDCP; or 2) The terminal does not know that the first base station supports the second PDCP.

[0056] In Case 2: 3) The terminal knows that the first base station does not support the second PDCP; or 4) The terminal does not know that the first base station does not support the second PDCP.

[0057] For each of the above situations, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, an appropriate PCDP can be selected to complete the RRC connection reestablishment process. For details, see Box 202.

[0058] In Box 202, the terminal initiates an RRC connection reestablishment process to the first base station based on the first PDCP or the second PDCP.

[0059] Case 1: The first base station supports the second PDCP.

[0060] 1) If the terminal knows that the first base station supports the second PDCP, the terminal can transmit an RRC connection reestablishment request message to the first base station based on the second PDCP to initiate an RRC connection reestablishment process between the terminal and the first base station. In this case, the terminal and the first base station can perform the RRC connection reestablishment process based on the second PDCP.

[0061] 2) If the terminal does not know that the first base station supports the second PDCP, the terminal can transmit an RRC connection reconfiguration request message based on the second PDCP to initiate an RRC connection reestablishment process between the terminal and the first base station. In this case, the terminal and the first base station can perform the RRC connection reestablishment process based on the second PDCP.

[0062] 3) If the terminal does not know that the first base station supports the second PDCP, the terminal can transmit an RRC connection reestablishment request message based on the first PDCP.

[0063] Here, in the case where the first base station supports both the first PDCP and the second PDCP, after the RRC connection reestablishment process between the terminal based on the first PDCP and the first base station is completed, the terminal and the first base station will switch from the first PDCP to the second PDCP and execute the security mode command process based on the second PDCP.

[0064] However, in the case where the first base station supports the second PDCP but does not support the first PDCP, the RRC connection reestablishment process between the terminal and the first base station will be switched to be executed based on the second PDCP. Here, the first base station may decide to execute the RRC connection reestablishment process based on the second PDCP.

[0065] In some embodiments, if the first base station cannot decode the RRC connection reestablishment request message transmitted by the terminal based on the first PDCP, the first base station transmits an RRC connection failure message to the terminal. If the first base station can use both the first PDCP and the second PDCP to decode the RRC connection reestablishment request message transmitted by the terminal based on the first PDCP, the first base station can still correctly decode the RRC connection reestablishment request message. In this case, the first base station may send an RRC connection reestablishment message to the terminal.

[0066] Case 2: The first base station does not support the second PDCP.

[0067] 1) If the terminal knows that the first base station does not support the second PDCP or the terminal does not know that the first base station does not support the second PDCP, the terminal may transmit an RRC connection reestablishment request message to the first base station based on the first PDCP and restore the RRC connection with the first base station by using the RRC connection reestablishment request message based on the first PDCP.

[0068] In addition, the terminal may decide to release the secondary cell group (SCG) bearer; or the terminal may decide to maintain the SCG bearer and then move the SCG bearer to the first base station.

[0069] 2) If the terminal does not know that the first base station does not support the second PDCP, the terminal may transmit an RRC connection reestablishment request message to the first base station based on the second PDCP. In this case, the first base station cannot decode the RRC connection reestablishment request message transmitted by the terminal based on the second PDCP and transmits an RRC connection failure message to the terminal. In this case, the terminal may transmit another RRC connection reestablishment request message to the first base station based on the first PDCP.

[0070] With the above solutions, the terminal and the base station, for example, an eNB (a traditional eNB that does not support NR PDCP or an eNB that supports NR PDCP) can appropriately handle the RRC connection reestablishment process.

[0071] Application Example 1

[0072] In Application Example 1, when the UE sends an RRC connection reestablishment request to a DC-capable eNB, there may be two cases.

[0073] · Case 1: The UE already knows that the cell supports DC, and then it uses NR-PDCP to send the RRC connection reestablishment, or the UE does not know that the target cell supports DC, but it uses NR-PDCP to send RRC connection reconfiguration 314. The subsequent RRC connection reestablishment process will use NR-PDCP, and there will be no problems caused by the situation where the UE first uses the initial LTE PDCP and then reconfigures to NR PDCP.

[0074] · Case 2: The UE does not know that the cell supports DC, and it uses LTE PDCP to send the RRC connection reestablishment. There are two handling methods for this case.

[0075] · Handling 2a: The eNB 32 that receives the DC-capable RRC connection reestablishment request 302 can support both NR-PDCP and LTE PDCP. Therefore, the process shown in Figure 3 is proposed. The eNB 32 replies with an RRC connection reestablishment 304. The main idea is that as long as the reestablishment is completed 306, before the security mode command procedures 310 and 312, the UE 30 and the eNB 32 can switch to NR PDCP for SRB1 308.

[0076] · Handling 2b: The eNB that receives the DC-capable reestablishment request does not understand the LTE PDCP-based reestablishment request, so it replies with a failure to the UE. Then, the UE loses the opportunity to reestablish the RRC connection, and the SCG bearers will also be released. Here, it should be noted that if the eNB can use both LTE PDCP and NR PDCP to decode the request message, in this case, the eNB can still correctly decode the request. But if the eNB does not decode the request using both PDCP versions, there is no such possibility.

[0077] Application Example 2

[0078] In Application Example 2, when the UE sends an RRC connection reestablishment to a legacy eNB that does not support DC, there may be two cases.

[0079] · Case 3: If the UE knows that the target eNB does not support DC, or does not know but accidentally uses LTE PDCP to send the reestablishment request, then it can use LTE PDCP to use the reestablishment request to restore the RRC connection in the target cell, and the UE can also decide whether to release the SCG bearers or keep these bearers and move these SCG bearers on the LTE primary cell on the target side.

[0080] · Scenario 4: If the UE does not know that the target cell does not support DC and uses NR PDCP to send a reconstruction request, the target eNB cannot decode it, and a failure should be sent to the UE. The UE reconstruction fails, and the SCG bearer can also be released.

[0081] Figure 4 A block diagram of an apparatus for reconstructing an RRC connection according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example, the apparatus for reconstructing an RRC connection may be implemented by a terminal. As Figure 4 shown, the apparatus for reconstructing an RRC connection includes a determination unit 401 and an RRC connection unit 402.

[0082] The determination unit 401 is configured to determine the PDCP for initiating an RRC connection reconstruction procedure based on knowledge of the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) supported by the first base station, where the PDCP is the first PDCP or the second PDCP.

[0083] The RRC connection unit 402 is configured to initiate an RRC connection reconstruction procedure to the first base station based on the first PDCP or the second PDCP.

[0084] In some embodiments, the determination unit 401 is configured to determine the PDCP for initiating an RRC connection reconstruction procedure based on knowledge of the dual connectivity (DC) network mode supported by the first base station. Assuming that the first base station supports the DC network mode, the first base station supports the second PDCP.

[0085] In some embodiments, the first base station supports the second PDCP, and the RRC connection unit 402 is configured to: in the case of knowing that the first base station supports the second PDCP, transmit an RRC connection reconstruction request message to the first base station based on the second PDCP to initiate an RRC connection reconstruction procedure between the terminal and the first base station based on the second PDCP; or in the case of not knowing that the first base station supports the second PDCP, transmit an RRC connection reconfiguration request message to the first base station based on the second PDCP to initiate an RRC connection reconstruction procedure between the terminal and the first base station based on the second PDCP.

[0086] In some embodiments, the first base station supports the second PDCP, and the RRC connection unit 402 is configured to transmit an RRC connection reconstruction request message to the first base station based on the first PDCP in the case of not knowing that the first base station supports the second PDCP.

[0087] In some embodiments, when the first base station supports both the first PDCP and the second PDCP, after the RRC connection reestablishment process between the RRC connection unit 402 based on the first PDCP and the first base station is completed, the terminal and the first base station switch from the first PDCP to the second PDCP, and execute the security mode command process with the first base station based on the second PDCP.

[0088] In some embodiments, if the first base station cannot decode the RRC connection reestablishment request message transmitted by the terminal based on the first PDCP, the first base station transmits an RRC connection failure message to the terminal. Accordingly, the RRC connection unit 402 receives the RRC connection failure message from the first base station.

[0089] If the first base station can use both the first PDCP and the second PDCP to decode the RRC connection reestablishment request message transmitted by the terminal based on the first PDCP, the first base station can still correctly decode the RRC connection reestablishment request message, and thus can send an RRC connection reestablishment message to the terminal. Accordingly, the RRC connection unit 402 receives the RRC connection reestablishment message from the first base station.

[0090] In some embodiments, when the first base station supports the second PDCP, the first base station is a master node MN in a DC network.

[0091] In some embodiments, the first base station does not support the second PDCP, and the RRC connection unit 402 is configured to: transmit an RRC connection reestablishment request message to the first base station based on the first PDCP, with or without knowing that the first base station does not support the second PDCP; and restore the RRC connection with the first base station by using the RRC connection reestablishment request message based on the first PDCP.

[0092] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include a decision unit 403, configured to decide to release the secondary cell group SCG bearer; or decide to maintain the SCG bearer and then move the SCG bearer to the first base station.

[0093] In some embodiments, the first base station does not support the second PDCP, and the RRC connection unit 402 is configured to: transmit an RRC connection reestablishment request message to the first base station based on the second PDCP without knowing that the first base station does not support the second PDCP; and receive an RRC connection failure message from the first base station due to a decoding failure of the RRC connection reestablishment request message transmitted based on the second PDCP.

[0094] As can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, as Figure 4The functions of the units in the apparatus for reconstructing an RRC connection as shown can be understood based on the above relevant description of the method for reconstructing an RRC connection, and can be implemented by a program running in a processor or by a logic circuit. As Figure 4 The functions of the units in the apparatus for reconstructing an RRC connection as shown can be implemented by a program running in a processor or by a specific logic circuit.

[0095] For the apparatus for reconstructing an RRC connection as described above, when implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, the function can also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on such an understanding, the technical solution of the present disclosure, substantially or the part that contributes to the prior art or part of the technical solution, can be implemented in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium, which includes a plurality of instructions configured to enable a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the operations of the methods in each embodiment of the present disclosure. The above storage medium includes: various media capable of storing program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disc. Thus, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to any specific combination of software and hardware.

[0096] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to execute the above method for reconstructing an RRC connection.

[0097] Figure 5 A block diagram of a terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. As Figure 5 shown, the terminal 50 may include one or more (only one is shown) processors 502 (the processor 502 may include, but is not limited to, a microcontroller unit (MCU) or a programmable logic device (such as a field programmable gate array FPGA)), a memory 504 for storing data, and a transceiver 506 for implementing communication functions. Those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that Figure 5 the structure shown is illustrative only and does not limit the structure of the electronic device. For example, the terminal 50 may further include more or fewer components than Figure 5 shown, or have a configuration different from Figure 5 that shown.

[0098] The memory 504 may be configured to store software programs and modules, such as program instructions / modules corresponding to the method for reconstructing an RRC connection in the embodiments of the present disclosure. The processor 502 executes various functional applications and data processing by running the software programs and modules stored in the memory 504, that is, implements the above method. The memory 504 may include a high-speed random access memory, or may include non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic storage devices, flash memory, or other non-volatile solid-state memories. In some examples, the memory 504 may further include one or more memories remote from the processor 502, and the memories may be connected to the terminal 50 through a network. Examples of such networks include, but are not limited to, the Internet, intranets, local area networks, mobile communication networks, and combinations thereof.

[0099] The transceiver 506 is configured to receive or transmit data through a network. The network may include, for example, a wireless network provided by a communication provider of the terminal 50. In one example, the transceiver 506 includes a network interface controller (NIC), which may be connected to other network devices through a base station to enable communication with the Internet. In one example, the transceiver 506 may be a radio frequency (RF) circuit capable of enabling wireless communication with the Internet.

[0100] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be freely combined with each other without conflict.

[0101] In several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices, and methods may be implemented in other modes. For example, the embodiments of the above devices are merely exemplary. For example, the division of units is only a logical function division, and in practice, other division modes may be adopted. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted or not executed. From another perspective, the shown or discussed mutual coupling, direct coupling, or communication connection may be an indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units through some interfaces, and may also be in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0102] The units illustrated as independent components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units. That is to say, the components may be located in one place, or may be distributed on multiple network units. The purpose of the solution of the embodiment may be achieved by selecting some or all units according to actual needs.

[0103] In addition, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the functional units may be integrated into one processing unit, or the functional units may exist separately and physically, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit may be implemented through hardware or a hardware plus software functional unit.

[0104] The above are only specific embodiments of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present disclosure. Any changes or substitutions that are obvious to those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present disclosure will fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for reconstructing a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection, comprising: The terminal determines the PDCP for initiating the RRC connection reestablishment procedure based on its knowledge of the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) supported by the first base station, where the PDCP is either a first PDCP or a second PDCP, the first PDCP being a Long Term Evolution (LTE) PDCP and the second PDCP being a New Radio (NR) PDCP, and the first base station being the master node in a Dual Connectivity (DC) network; and The terminal initiates the RRC connection reestablishment procedure to the first base station based on the first PDCP or the second PDCP; where the first base station supports the second PDCP, and where the terminal initiating the RRC connection reestablishment procedure to the first base station based on the first PDCP or the second PDCP includes: When the terminal knows that the first base station supports the second PDCP, the terminal transmits an RRC connection reestablishment request message to the first base station based on the second PDCP to initiate the RRC connection reestablishment procedure between the terminal and the first base station based on the second PDCP; or When the terminal does not know that the first base station supports the second PDCP, the terminal transmits an RRC connection reconfiguration request message based on the second PDCP to initiate the RRC connection reestablishment procedure between the terminal and the first base station based on the second PDCP; Or where the first base station supports the second PDCP, and where the terminal initiating the RRC connection reestablishment procedure to the first base station based on the first PDCP or the second PDCP includes: When the terminal does not know that the first base station supports the second PDCP, the terminal transmits an RRC connection reestablishment request message based on the first PDCP.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein Determining the PDCP for initiating the RRC connection reestablishment procedure based on knowledge of the PDCP supported by the first base station includes: Determining the PDCP for initiating the RRC connection reestablishment procedure based on knowledge of the Dual Connectivity (DC) network mode supported by the first base station, where if the first base station supports the DC network mode, then the first base station supports the second PDCP.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein In the case where the first base station supports both the first PDCP and the second PDCP, after the RRC connection reestablishment procedure between the terminal and the first base station based on the first PDCP is completed, the method further includes: The terminal and the first base station switch from the first PDCP to the second PDCP together; and The terminal performs a security mode command procedure with the first base station based on the second PDCP.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The terminal receives from the first base station an RRC connection failure message due to a decoding failure of the RRC connection reestablishment request message transmitted by the terminal based on the first PDCP; Or The terminal receives an RRC connection reestablishment message from the first base station, where the first base station is capable of decoding the RRC connection reestablishment request message transmitted by the terminal based on the first PDCP using both the first PDCP and the second PDCP.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first base station does not support the second PDCP, and wherein the process of the terminal initiating the RRC connection reconstruction to the first base station based on the first PDCP or the second PDCP comprises: When the terminal knows that the first base station does not support the second PDCP or when the terminal does not know that the first base station does not support the second PDCP, the terminal transmits the RRC connection reestablishment request message to the first base station based on the first PDCP; and the terminal restores the RRC connection with the first base station by using the RRC connection reestablishment request message based on the first PDCP.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: The terminal decides to release the secondary cell group (SCG) bearer; or the terminal decides to maintain the SCG bearer and then moves the SCG bearer to the first base station.

7. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first base station does not support the second PDCP, and wherein the method further comprises: When the terminal does not know that the first base station does not support the second PDCP, the terminal transmits the RRC connection reestablishment request message to the first base station based on the second PDCP; and the terminal receives an RRC connection failure message from the first base station due to a decoding failure of the RRC connection reestablishment request message transmitted by the terminal based on the second PDCP.

8. A terminal, comprising: A determination unit, configured to determine the PDCP for initiating a radio resource control (RRC) connection reestablishment process based on knowledge of the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) supported by the first base station, where the PDCP is the first PDCP or the second PDCP, where the first PDCP is a long term evolution (LTE) PDCP and the second PDCP is a new radio (NR) PDCP, and where the first base station is a master node in a dual connectivity (DC) network; and an RRC connection unit, configured to initiate the RRC connection reestablishment process to the first base station based on the first PDCP or the second PDCP; where the first base station supports the second PDCP, and the RRC connection unit is configured to: in the case of knowing that the first base station supports the second PDCP, transmit an RRC connection reestablishment request message to the first base station based on the second PDCP to initiate the RRC connection reestablishment process between the terminal and the first base station based on the second PDCP; or in the case of not knowing that the first base station supports the second PDCP, transmit an RRC connection reconfiguration request message to the first base station based on the second PDCP to initiate the RRC connection reestablishment process between the terminal and the first base station based on the second PDCP; or where the first base station supports the second PDCP, and the RRC connection unit is configured to: in the case of not knowing that the first base station supports the second PDCP, transmit an RRC connection reestablishment request message to the first base station based on the first PDCP.

9. The terminal according to claim 8, wherein, The determination unit is configured to: determine the PDCP for initiating the RRC connection reestablishment process based on knowledge of the dual connectivity (DC) network mode supported by the first base station, Wherein if the first base station supports the DC network mode, the first base station supports the second PDCP.

10. The terminal according to claim 8, wherein, In the case where the first base station supports both the first PDCP and the second PDCP, after the RRC connection reestablishment process between the RRC connection unit based on the first PDCP and the first base station is completed, the terminal and the first base station switch from the first PDCP to the second PDCP, and perform a security mode command process based on the second PDCP with the first base station.

11. The terminal according to claim 8, wherein, The RRC connection unit is further configured to: Receive, from the first base station, an RRC connection failure message caused by a decoding failure of the RRC connection reestablishment request message transmitted by the terminal based on the first PDCP; Or Receive, from the first base station, an RRC connection reestablishment message, wherein the first base station can use both the first PDCP and the second PDCP to decode the RRC connection reestablishment request message transmitted based on the first PDCP.

12. The terminal according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the first base station does not support the second PDCP; and the RRC connection unit is configured to: with or without knowing that the first base station does not support the second PDCP, transmit the RRC connection reestablishment request message to the first base station based on the first PDCP; and restore the RRC connection with the first base station by using the RRC connection reestablishment request message based on the first PDCP.

13. The terminal according to claim 12, further comprising a decision unit configured to: decide to release the secondary cell group (SCG) bearer; or decide to maintain the SCG bearer and then move the SCG bearer to the first base station.

14. The terminal according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the first base station does not support the second PDCP; and the RRC connection unit is configured to: without knowing that the first base station does not support the second PDCP, transmit the RRC connection reestablishment request message to the first base station based on the second PDCP; and receive from the first base station an RRC connection failure message caused by a decoding failure of the RRC connection reestablishment request message transmitted by the terminal based on the second PDCP.

15. A terminal, comprising: A processor; And A memory that stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

16. A computer-readable storage medium stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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