A communication method and a communication device

Abstract

The application relates to a communication method and a communication device. A terminal device receives first indication information from a second network device, the first indication information being used for indicating that a first network device is faulty, or for indicating switching from the first network device to the second network device, or for indicating that switching of a network device serving the terminal device occurs. The terminal device sends response information in response to the first indication information to the second network device. In a possible embodiment of the application, the terminal device can quickly determine whether the first network device is faulty with the assistance of the second network device, thereby reducing the interruption time of service transmission and improving the continuity and reliability of the service.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of communication, and in particular to a communication method and a communication device. BACKGROUND

[0002] At present, wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication, such as voice services, data services, etc. The communication system includes one or more terminal devices connected to the core network through the access network to realize communication between multiple communication devices. In some scenarios, for example, in industrial scenarios, the reliability requirement of service transmission is high, so if the network device fails, the transmission of the service cannot be guaranteed, and the time of fault recovery directly affects whether the service is interrupted, so the reliability requirement of the system is also relatively high.

[0003] In order to improve the reliability, one or more backup network devices are usually provided for the network device. For example, when the operating network device (such as an access network device and / or a core network device) fails, the switching between the operating network device and the backup network device is triggered, so as to enable the backup network device to provide services for the terminal device. In the prior art, when the operating network device fails, the wireless link between the operating network device and the terminal device will fail. For the terminal device, when the terminal device detects that the wireless link failure occurs between the terminal device and the access network device, the terminal device will initiate a radio resource control (RRC) re-establishment process. However, the re-establishment process may fail, resulting in a decrease in the reliability of the service. SUMMARY

[0004] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and a communication device to improve the reliability of the communication system.

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method, a corresponding communication device and a communication system are provided. The communication method is used in a communication system including a terminal device, a first network device and a second network device. The terminal device receives first indication information from the second network device, the first indication information being used to indicate that the first network device fails, or to indicate switching from the first network device to the second network device, or to indicate that the network device serving the terminal device is switched; and the terminal device sends response information of the first indication information to the second network device. In this scheme, one network device determines whether another network device fails and notifies the terminal device, so as to enable the terminal device to communicate with the second network device as soon as possible, which can reduce the interruption time of service transmission and improve the continuity and reliability of the service.

[0006] In an optional implementation, the terminal device receives the first indication information according to first configuration information. The first configuration information is used to configure resources in time domain, frequency domain, code domain, etc. required for receiving the first indication information. The first configuration information includes, for example, information of a bandwidth part (BWP), information of a search space, information of a time domain resource, and / or a radio network tempory identity (RNTI), etc.

[0007] In an optional implementation, the terminal device receives part or all of the first configuration information from the network side. For example, the network device (the first network device and / or the second network device) sends the first configuration information to the terminal device, so that the terminal device can learn the resources required for receiving the first indication information, improving the receiving efficiency. The first configuration information includes part or all of the resources (such as information of a BWP, information of a time domain resource, information of a search space, and / or information of an RNTI, etc.) required for receiving the first indication information.

[0008] In another optional implementation, the terminal device obtains part or all of the first configuration information in a default manner. For example, through a protocol, pre-configuration, etc., the terminal device obtains part or all of the resources (such as information of a BWP, information of a search space, information of a time domain resource, and / or an RNTI, etc.) required for receiving the first indication information, so that the network device does not need to send the first configuration information, saving air interface resources.

[0009] In another optional implementation, the terminal device obtains part of the first configuration information in a default manner, and obtains another part of the first configuration information by receiving the first configuration information from the network device.

[0010] The information of the BWP is used to indicate a first BWP, which is one or more downlink BWPs predetermined for transmitting the first indication information. The terminal device receives the first indication information on the first BWP. The first BWP can be an active downlink BWP for the terminal device, or an initial downlink BWP, or a downlink BWP corresponding to a control resource set 0 (CORESET#0). By default (such as a protocol or pre-configuration) or by indication (explicit or implicit) of the network device, the terminal device is informed of the BWP information for transmitting the first indication information, which can make the terminal device more efficiently detect the indication information, improving the receiving efficiency of the terminal device for the indication information.

[0011] If the first BWP is not an active downlink BWP of the terminal device, for example, the first BWP is the initial downlink BWP or the downlink BWP corresponding to the CORESET#0, if the first BWP is different from the active downlink BWP of the terminal device, the terminal device needs to adjust the radio frequency of the receiving antenna of the terminal device from the frequency of the active downlink BWP to the frequency of the first BWP to receive the first indication information. The terminal device receives the first indication information using a suitable radio frequency, which improves the success rate of the terminal device receiving the first indication information.

[0012] The RNTI is used to scramble the first indication information. In an optional implementation, the RNTI can be a common RNTI (for example, C-RNTI). For example, the default second network device can scramble the first indication information using the common RNTI, and the terminal device uses the common RNTI to descramble the first indication information, so that the network does not need to configure the RNTI through signaling again, thereby saving signaling overhead. In another implementation, the RNTI is obtained from the first configuration information received by the terminal device from the network side. The terminal device uses the RNTI obtained from the first configuration information to descramble the first indication information. For example, the RNTI can be represented as X-RNTI. The X-RNTI can be an RNTI defined in the communication standard, or a newly defined RNTI in the communication standard.

[0013] The terminal device sends response information of the first indication information to the second network device. It can be understood that the terminal device sends a response message to respond to the first indication information, or the terminal device sends response information, and initiates a certain process after receiving the first indication information as a response to the first indication information. The response message can be a response message specified in the existing standard, or a newly defined message. In an optional implementation, the process of the terminal device performing random access to the second network device is regarded as the response of the terminal device to the first indication information. For example, a certain message sent by the terminal device to the second network device in the process of the terminal device performing random access to the second network device is regarded as the response information, for example, preamble, Msg3 in the random access process, or MsgB in the random access process, etc. In another optional implementation, the terminal device does not send the response information to the second network device, but switches to the second network device through other ways (for example, cell reselection, RRC connection establishment, or RRC re-establishment process) after receiving the first indication information.

[0014] Optionally, the first indication information further comprises third configuration information, the third configuration information being used for the terminal device to communicate with the second network device, and the third configuration information comprising information of random access resource and / or information of second BWP; or the method further comprises: the terminal device receives second configuration information from the first network device, the second configuration information being used for the terminal device to communicate with the second network device, and the second configuration information comprising one or more of the following: information of random access resource, information of second BWP, measurement configuration information, radio bearer configuration information, MAC layer configuration information, or physical layer configuration information.

[0015] The second BWP is a downlink BWP applied by the terminal device in a random access procedure.

[0016] The second network device can pre-send the second configuration information to the terminal device, so that the terminal device does not need to wait for the second network device to send the configuration information again if it needs to switch to the second network device later, and uses the pre-obtained second configuration information to communicate with the second network device, which helps to improve the communication efficiency of the terminal device and reduce the time of service interruption. Alternatively, the second network device does not need to pre-send the second configuration information, but sends the third configuration information through the first indication information when it determines that the terminal device needs to switch, which improves the effectiveness of the third configuration information, and sending the third configuration information through the first indication information also reduces the time for the terminal device to wait for the configuration information and improves the communication efficiency of the terminal device.

[0017] In an optional implementation, the method further comprises: the terminal device receives fourth configuration information from the first network device. The fourth configuration information comprises two or more sets of configuration, i.e. two or more sub-configuration information, each set of configuration corresponding to a network device. Therefore, the fourth configuration information can be used to configure downlink reference signals corresponding to different network devices. For example, the fourth configuration information comprises first sub-configuration information and second sub-configuration information, the first sub-configuration information being used to configure downlink reference signals of the first network device, and the second sub-configuration information being used to configure downlink reference signals of the second network device; the terminal device receives downlink reference signals from the second network device according to the fourth configuration information.

[0018] Optionally, the fourth configuration information can include sub-configuration information, and the sub-configuration information can include information indicating which network device the sub-configuration information corresponds to. The information indicating which network device the sub-configuration information corresponds to can be explicit or implicit. For example, the second sub-configuration information includes first information, and the first information indicates that the second sub-configuration information corresponds to the second network device, or indicates that the network device corresponding to the second sub-configuration information is different from the network device corresponding to the first sub-configuration information. For another example, the second sub-configuration information includes second information, and the second information is pre-set time domain information, for example, is specified by a protocol, and then the terminal device can determine, according to the second information included in the second sub-configuration information, that the second sub-configuration information corresponds to a different network device from the first sub-configuration information. The terminal device can receive corresponding downlink reference signals according to different sub-configuration information, so that the terminal device can complete measurement of the downlink reference signals from the first network device and measurement of the downlink reference signals of the second network device, thereby realizing downlink beam training between the terminal device and the second network device.

[0019] In an optional embodiment, the second network device transmits the first indication information on a transmission beam corresponding to at least one receiving beam of the second network device. The at least one receiving beam is all or part of the receiving beams receiving the downlink reference signals of the second network device. The terminal device receives the downlink reference signals of the second network device through the at least one receiving beam, and receives the first indication information through the at least one receiving beam, so that the success rate of receiving the first indication information can be improved.

[0020] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: the terminal device receiving first state information from the first network device, the first state information including the number of downlink reference signals, the downlink reference signals indicated by the number of downlink reference signals being one or more of the downlink reference signals configured by the second sub-configuration information. The first state information can include the number of downlink reference signals corresponding to the second network device, for example, the terminal device is located in the direction corresponding to the number of downlink reference signals. If the second network device transmits the first indication information on the transmission beam corresponding to the downlink reference signal indicated by the number of downlink reference signals, the terminal device receives the first indication information on the reception beam corresponding to the number of downlink reference signals. The terminal device can more accurately receive, thereby improving the success rate of receiving of the terminal device, and the second network device can also not have to transmit indication information in other directions, saving the power consumption of the second network device. In this implementation, the terminal device receives the first indication information on the reception beam corresponding to the downlink reference signal based on the number of downlink reference signals indicated by the network device, which can improve the success rate and quality of receiving of the first indication information.

[0021] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: the terminal device receiving second indication information from the first network device, the second indication information including the information of the first transmission beam and the information of the second transmission beam, the first transmission beam being used for transmitting information to the first network device, and the second transmission beam being used for transmitting information to the second network device.

[0022] The terminal device transmits uplink reference signals, and the first network device and the second network device can both measure the received uplink reference signals. Then the second network device can obtain the measurement results, and determine, according to the measurement results, on which reception beams the second network device can receive information from the terminal device with better quality. The first network device can configure, in addition to the first transmission beam, a second transmission beam for the terminal device, the second transmission beam corresponding to the second network device, for example, being determined according to the measurement results of the second network device. If the terminal device transmits information to the second network device on the second transmission beam, the second network device can more accurately receive, thereby improving the success rate of receiving of the second network device, and the terminal device can also not have to transmit indication information in other directions, saving the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0023] In an optional implementation, based on the second indication information from the first network device, the terminal device transmits response information of the first indication information to the second network device through the second transmission beam, which can improve the success rate and quality of receiving of the second network device for the response information.

[0024] In a second aspect, a communication method, a corresponding communication apparatus and a communication system are provided. A second network device sends first indication information to a terminal device, the first indication information being used to indicate that a first network device is faulty, or to indicate a handover from the first network device to the second network device, or to indicate that a network device serving the terminal device is subject to a handover; and the second network device receives response information of the first indication information from the terminal device. The possible implementation manners and technical effects of the first indication information and the response information can be referred to the description of the first aspect.

[0025] In this scheme, if the second network device does not receive heartbeat information from the first network device within a first time duration, the second network device determines that the first network device is faulty; or, if the second network device receives measurement information from the terminal device, the second network device determines that the first network device is faulty according to the measurement information; or, if the second network device receives hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledge (HARQ-ACK) information from the terminal device, the HARQ-ACK information being used to indicate that data transmission with the first network device fails, the second network device determines that the first network device is faulty according to the HARQ-ACK information.

[0026] The above three manners can be applied individually, i.e., the second network device only needs to use one of the manners to determine whether the first network device is faulty; or, any two or three of the above manners can be applied in combination, i.e., the second network device can comprehensively use multiple manners to determine whether the first network device is faulty. For the manner used by the second network device, if the first network device is determined to be faulty by each of the manners, the second network device determines that the first network device is faulty, which can improve the accuracy of the determination result. Which of the above manners or manners is used by the second network device to determine whether the first network device is faulty can be determined by the second network device itself or can be specified by a protocol. Alternatively, in addition to the above manners, the second network device can determine whether the first network device is faulty by other manners, and the application does not limit the manner used by the second network device to determine that the first network device is faulty.

[0027] In an optional implementation, the second network device sends the first indication information to the terminal device according to first configuration information. The first configuration information includes one or more of the following: information of a BWP, information of a search space, or RNTI. The related description of the first configuration information can be referred to the description of the first aspect.

[0028] Optionally, the second network device sends second sub-configuration information to the first network device, the second sub-configuration information being used for configuring downlink reference signals of the second network device; the second network device receives first measurement results from the terminal device, the first measurement results being measurement results obtained by measuring the downlink reference signals of the second network device; the second network device determines second state information according to the first measurement results, the second state information including numbers of the downlink reference signals; and the second network device sends the second state information to the first network device.

[0029] Optionally, the second network device sends the first indication information to the terminal device through a transmission beam corresponding to the number of the downlink reference signal.

[0030] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: the second network device receives configuration information for configuring uplink reference signals from the first network device, and receives the uplink reference signals from the terminal device according to the configuration information. The second network device measures the uplink reference signals to obtain measurement results, and sends the measurement results to the first network device. The measurement results can be used by the terminal device to determine a transmission beam for sending information to the second network device. Optionally, the second network device receives the response information from the terminal device through a second receiving beam.

[0031] The technical effects brought by the optional implementations of the second aspect can be referred to the introduction of the technical effects of the first aspect or the corresponding implementations of the first aspect.

[0032] Thirdly, a communication method, a corresponding communication device and a communication system are provided. The first network device receives first configuration information from the second network device; and the first network device sends the first configuration information to a terminal device, the first configuration information being used by the terminal device to receive first indication information from the second network device, the first indication information being used to indicate that the first network device is faulty, or being used to indicate that the terminal device switches from the first network device to the second network device, or being used to indicate that a network device serving the terminal device is switched.

[0033] In an optional implementation, the first configuration information includes one or more of the following: information of a BWP; information of a search space; or, an RNTI. The first configuration information can be referred to the related description of the first aspect.

[0034] In an alternative embodiment, the method further comprises: the first network device sending configuration information (referred to as first network device configuration information) for supporting the working parameters of the terminal device and the first network device to the terminal device. For example, the first network device configuration information comprises one or more of the following: measurement configuration information, radio bearer configuration information, MAC layer configuration information, or physical layer configuration information.

[0035] In order to support the terminal device switching to the second network device, the second network device also needs to configure corresponding working parameters for the terminal device. In order to reduce the complexity of configuration, an iterative configuration method can be used. For example, the second network device configures corresponding parameters for the terminal device according to the parameters of the terminal device under the first network device. Alternatively, the first network device can send the first network device configuration information to the second network device in addition to sending the first network device configuration information to the terminal device, thereby enabling the second network device to configure corresponding working parameters for the terminal device.

[0036] Alternatively, the first network device receives second sub-configuration information from the second network device, the second sub-configuration information being used to configure the downlink reference signal of the second network device; the first network device sends fourth configuration information to the terminal device, the fourth configuration information comprising the first sub-configuration information and the second sub-configuration information, the first sub-configuration information being used to configure the downlink reference signal of the first network device, and the second sub-configuration information being used to configure the downlink reference signal of the second network device. Alternatively, the fourth configuration information can further comprise one or more sub-configuration information, each sub-configuration information corresponding to one network device.

[0037] Alternatively, the first network device receives second state information from the second network device, the second state information comprising the number of downlink reference signals; the first network device sends first state information to the terminal device, the first state information comprising the number of downlink reference signals.

[0038] Alternatively, the first network device sends fifth configuration information to the terminal device, the fifth configuration information being used to configure the uplink reference signal.

[0039] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: the first network device receiving a measurement result from the second network device, the measurement result being a measurement result obtained by the second network device performing measurement on an uplink reference signal. The first network device determines a second transmission beam according to the measurement result from the second network device. The first network device sends second indication information to the terminal device, the second indication information including information of the first transmission beam and information of the second transmission beam, the first transmission beam being used by the terminal device to send information to the first network device, and the second transmission beam being used by the terminal device to send information to the second network device.

[0040] For the third aspect or the various optional implementations and technical effects of the third aspect, refer to the above description of the first and / or second aspect.

[0041] A fourth aspect provides a communication apparatus. The communication apparatus can be the terminal device of any one of the above first to third aspects, or an electronic device configured in the terminal device, or a larger device including the terminal device. The terminal device includes corresponding means or modules for performing the above method. For example, the communication apparatus includes a processing unit (sometimes also referred to as a processing module) and a transceiver unit (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver module). The processing unit is configured to receive first indication information from a second network device via the transceiver unit, and send response information of the first indication information to the second network device via the transceiver module.

[0042] For another example, the communication apparatus includes a processor coupled to a memory, and configured to execute instructions in the memory to implement the method performed by the terminal device in any one of the above first to third aspects. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes other components, such as an antenna, an input / output module, an interface, and the like. These components can be hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0043] In a fifth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus can be the first network device and / or the second network device in any of the above first to third aspects. The communication apparatus has the functions of the first network device, the functions of the second network device, or the functions of the first network device and the second network device. The communication apparatus can be the first network device of the first terminal device, or the second network device of the second terminal device. The first network device and / or the second network device can be a base station, or a baseband device in a base station. In an optional implementation, the communication apparatus includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device. In another optional implementation, the communication apparatus includes a processing unit (also referred to as a processing module) and a transceiver unit (also referred to as a transceiver module).

[0044] The processing unit is configured to send, via the transceiver unit, first indication information to a terminal device, and receive, via the transceiver unit, response information of the first indication information from the terminal device.

[0045] In an optional implementation, the communication apparatus includes a processing unit, which is configured to be coupled with a storage unit, and execute programs or instructions in the storage unit, so as to enable the communication apparatus to perform the functions of the first network device and / or the functions of the second network device.

[0046] In a sixth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, which is configured to store computer programs or instructions, which, when executed, enable the method performed by the terminal device, the first network device, or the second network device in the above aspects to be implemented.

[0047] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enable the method in the above aspects to be implemented. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0048] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Figure 2A FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Figure 2B FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another application scenario according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] Figure 2C FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of yet another application scenario according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] Figure 3 FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] Figure 4 A flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the application;

[0054] Figure 5A And Figure 5B A schematic diagram of a frequency domain location relationship between a first BWP and an activated BWP of a terminal device in an embodiment of the application;

[0055] Figure 6 Another flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the application;

[0056] Figure 7 Still another flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the application;

[0057] Figure 8 A schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the application;

[0058] Figure 9 A schematic block diagram of a terminal device provided by an embodiment of the application;

[0059] Figure 10 A schematic block diagram of a network device provided by an embodiment of the application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0060] The technology provided by the embodiments of the application can be applied to Figure 1 As shown in the communication system 10, the communication system 10 includes one or more communication apparatuses 30 (for example, terminal devices) connected to one or more core network devices via one or more access network devices to implement communication between multiple communication devices. The communication system may, for example, be a communication system supporting 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G (sometimes also referred to as new radio, NR) access technology, a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, a 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) related cellular system, a communication system supporting multiple wireless technology convergence, or a future-oriented evolution system.

[0061] In the following, some terms in the embodiments of the application are explained and described to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0062] In this application, a terminal device is a device with wireless transceiver function, which can be a fixed device, a mobile device, a handheld device (such as a mobile phone), a wearable device, a vehicle-mounted device, or a wireless device (such as a communication module, a modem, or a chip system, etc.) built into the above devices. The terminal device is used to connect people, things, machines, etc., and can be widely used in various scenarios, such as but not limited to the following scenarios: cellular communication, device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-to-machine / machine-type communication (M2M / MTC), internet of things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, self-driving, remote medical, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, unmanned aerial vehicle, robot, etc. The terminal device can also be called user equipment (UE), terminal, access station, UE station, remote station, wireless communication device, or user device, etc. For the convenience of description, the terminal device is taken as an example of UE in this application.

[0063] The network device in the present application, for example, includes an access network device and / or a core network device. The access network device is a device with wireless transceiving function, used for communicating with the terminal device. The access network device includes but is not limited to the base station (BTS, Node B, eNodeB / eNB, or gNodeB / gNB) in the above-mentioned communication system, the transmission reception point (TRP), the base station of subsequent evolution of 3GPP, the access node in the WiFi system, the wireless relay node, the wireless backhaul node, and the like. The base station can be a macro base station, a micro base station, a pico base station, a small station, a relay station, and the like. A plurality of base stations can support the network of the same access technology mentioned above or support the network of different access technologies mentioned above. The base station can include one or more co-sited or non-co-sited transmission reception points. The network device can also be a wireless controller in the cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, a centralized unit (CU), and / or a distributed unit (DU). The network device can also be a server, a wearable device, or a vehicle-mounted device, and the like. For example, the network device in the V2X technology can be a road side unit (RSU). The following describes the access network device taking the base station as an example. A plurality of network devices in the communication system can be the same type of base station or different types of base station. The base station can communicate with the terminal device or communicate with the terminal device through the relay station. The terminal device can communicate with a plurality of base stations in different access technologies. The core network device is used to implement mobile management, data processing, session management, policy and charging, and the like. The device names for implementing the core network function in the system of different access technologies can be different, which is not limited in the present application. Taking the 5G system as an example, the core network device includes an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), or a user plane function (UPF), and the like.

[0064] In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device for implementing the function of the network device can be a network device or a device capable of supporting the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the network device. In the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the function of the network device is taken as an example to describe the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0065] Different UEs have different radio frequency capabilities, and thus have different maximum bandwidths that can be supported. Therefore, the concept of a bandwidth part (BWP) is introduced, and a UE is allocated a portion of the spectrum for use on a wideband to adapt to the bandwidth that can be supported by the UE. Therefore, in a communication system, the bandwidth of a UE is dynamically variable, and this technology can also be referred to as bandwidth adaption. By configuring a UE with multiple BWPs of different bandwidths, flexible scheduling of the UE and energy saving of the UE can be achieved.

[0066] To reduce transmission loss in a communication process, a beamforming technology can be used. For example, beams are used for both downlink and uplink transmission. In a 5G system, there are a series of beam training processes, which can align the uplink and downlink beams. For example, in the 5G system, there is a random access channel (RACH) process based on SSB, which is a beam training process in the access process. Through this process, the downlink transmission beam of the base station and the uplink reception beam of the UE can be aligned, and the uplink transmission beam of the UE and the downlink reception beam of the base station can be aligned. In the 5G system, there is also a downlink beam training process based on SSB or channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS), which can occur after successful access. Through this process, the downlink transmission beam of the base station and the uplink reception beam of the UE can be aligned. In addition, in the 5G system, there is also an uplink beam training process based on a sounding reference signal (SRS), which can also occur after successful access. Through this process, the downlink reception beam of the base station and the uplink transmission beam of the UE can be aligned.

[0067] In this application, the number of nouns, unless otherwise specified, means "singular or plural", that is, "one or more". "At least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association between the associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the following cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects. For example, A / B means A or B. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c means a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0068] The terms "first", "second", etc. used in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish a plurality of objects, and are not used to limit the size, content, order, timing, priority or importance of the plurality of objects. For example, the configuration information of the first downlink RS and the configuration information of the second downlink RS can be the same configuration information or different configuration information, and the names do not mean that the information amount, content, priority or importance of the two configuration information are different.

[0069] Figure 2A A communication network architecture in a communication system 10 provided by the present application is shown, and the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 Figure 4 、 Figure 6 or Figure 7 The embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 can be applied to the architecture. The first network device is a source network device (or working network device, or serving network device) of a terminal device (hereinafter referred to as UE for example), and the second network device is a target network device (or standby network device) of the UE, i.e. the network device that provides service to the UE after handover. It should be noted that in the present application, "failure" can be understood as the failure of a network device, and / or the inability to provide service to one or more UEs due to other reasons, which is referred to as failure. The "handover" described in the present application refers to the handover of the network device providing service to the UE, and is not limited to "cell handover". For convenience of description, the network device is taken as a base station for example. The "handover" can refer to the handover caused by the change of the base station providing service to the UE. For example, when the source base station of the UE fails, the standby base station provides service to the UE. For another example, during the process of the UE switching from the source base station to another base station, the target base station after handover provides service to the UE. The accessed cell before and after the handover of the UE can change or not. It can be understood that the standby network device is a relative concept. For example, with respect to one UE, the base station 2 is the standby network device of the base station 1, while with respect to another UE, the base station 1 is the standby network device of the base station 2.

[0070] The first network device and the second network device can be two different devices, for example, the first network device and the second network device are two different base stations. Alternatively, the first network device and the second network device can also be two sets of functional modules in the same device. The functional modules can be hardware modules, or software modules, or hardware modules and software modules. For example, the first network device and the second network device are located in the same base station, and are two different functional modules in the base station. In an implementation manner, the first network device and the second network device are not transparent to the UE. When the UE interacts with the corresponding network device, the UE can know which network device is actually interacted with. In another implementation manner, the first network device and the second network device are transparent to the UE. The UE can communicate with the network device, but does not know which network device in the two network devices is interacted with. Alternatively, the UE can consider that there is only one network device. Figure 3 、 Figure 4 、 Figure 6 and Figure 7 In the above, the first network device and the second network device are located in a dashed box, which means that the first network device and the second network device can not be transparent to the UE, or can be transparent to the UE. In the subsequent description, the first network device, the second network device, and the terminal device (for example, the UE) can be the first network device, the second network device, and the UE in the network architecture shown in Figure 2A In the subsequent description, the first network device, the second network device, and the terminal device (for example, the UE) can be the first network device, the second network device, and the UE in the network architecture shown in

[0071] Figure 2B Another network architecture in the communication system 10 provided by the present application is shown. As shown in FIG. 2, the communication system 10 includes a first network device 20, a second network device 30, and a terminal device 40. The first network device 20 and the second network device 30 are connected to each other through a network 50. The terminal device 40 is connected to the first network device 20 and the second network device 30 through a network 60. Figure 2BAs shown, the communication system includes a core network (CN) and a radio access network (RAN). The network device (for example, a base station) in the RAN includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device. The baseband device can be implemented by one or more nodes, and the radio frequency device can be independently implemented from the baseband device, integrated into the baseband device, or partially independently implemented and partially integrated into the baseband device. The network device in the RAN can include a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), and multiple DUs can be centrally controlled by one CU. The CU and the DU can be divided according to the protocol layer functions of the wireless network they have, for example, the functions of the PDCP layer and above are arranged in the CU, and the functions of the protocol layer below PDCP, for example, the functions of the RLC layer and the MAC layer, are arranged in the DU. It should be noted that the protocol layer division is only an example, and other protocol layer divisions are also possible. The radio frequency device can be remotely located and not placed in the DU, or integrated into the DU, or partially remotely located and partially integrated into the DU, which is not limited in the present application.

[0072] Figure 2C Another communication network architecture in the communication system 10 provided by the present application is shown. With respect to the architecture shown, Figure 2B The architecture shown can also separate the control plane (CP) and the user plane (UP) of the CU, and implement them in different entities, namely the control plane CU entity (CU-CP entity) and the user plane CU entity (CU-UP entity). In this network architecture, the signaling generated by the CU can be sent to the UE through the DU, or the signaling generated by the UE can be sent to the CU through the DU. The DU can not analyze the signaling and directly transmit it to the UE or the CU through protocol layer encapsulation. In this network architecture, the CU is divided into a network device on the RAN side, and in addition, the CU can also be divided into a network device on the CN side, which is not limited in the present application.

[0073] Figure 3 A communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0074] S301, the second network device sends first indication information to the UE, and correspondingly, the UE receives the first indication information from the second network device.

[0075] For example, the second network device sends the first indication information to the UE in the case where it is determined that the first network device has failed, the first indication information indicating that the first network device has failed, or indicating switching from the first network device to the second network device, or indicating that the network device serving the UE has changed, or indicating that the second network device is valid (the so-called validity can be understood as that the UE needs to switch to the second network device to work), or indicating that the first network device is invalid (the so-called invalidity can be understood as that the UE cannot continue to work under the first network device).

[0076] The first indication information can be carried in a radio resource control (RRC) message, a media access control (MAC) control element (CE), or a downlink control information (DCI) message, and the like, and sent to the UE.

[0077] S302, the UE sends response information corresponding to the first indication information to the second network device, and correspondingly, the second network device receives the response information from the UE.

[0078] For example, a certain message sent by the UE to the second network device in the random access process of the second network device is regarded as the response information, that is, the UE accesses the second network device, and it is regarded that the UE responds to the first indication information. For example, the response information is a random preamble, or the response information can be a scheduling transmission message, such as a third message (Msg3) in the random access process, or the response message can also be a message B (MsgB) in the random access process, and the like.

[0079] Alternatively, the UE can also not send the response information to the second network device, for example, the UE can perform packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) reestablishment and the like after receiving the first indication information, without sending the response information to the second network device, so that S302 is an optional step.

[0080] The first network device is a network device currently serving the UE. That is, the embodiment of the present application is to inform the UE by other network devices (for example, the second network device) that the UE cannot continue to work under the first network device. Whether the first network device is faulty is determined by the second network device, or in other words, the second network device enables the second network device to provide services for the UE, which has higher realizability, so that the UE switches as soon as possible, reduces the service transmission delay, and improves the reliability of the communication system.

[0081] Based on the scheme of Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 respectively give detailed communication method examples. Next, please refer to Figure 4 , a flowchart of a communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application is given.

[0082] The first network device sends configuration information to the UE and the second network device respectively (S401, S402). The configuration information includes working parameters for supporting the UE to communicate with the first network device (for convenience, referred to as the configuration information of the first network device). The configuration information of the first network device includes one or more of the following: measurement configuration information, radio bearer configuration information, MAC layer configuration information, or physical layer configuration information. The measurement configuration information can be used to configure the UE to perform measurement under the first network device. The physical layer configuration information can be used to configure one or more bandwidth parts (BWPs) for the UE.

[0083] S401, the UE receives the configuration information of the first network device. The first network device can send the configuration information to the UE when the UE successfully performs random access with the first network device, and optionally, the first network device can also send the configuration information to the UE when the UE works under the first network device (a period of time after successful random access).

[0084] S402, the second network device receives the configuration information of the first network device. The second network device can also serve the UE. That is, the second network device can be the network device after handover. The second network device can configure working parameters for the UE. For example, the second network device uses an iterative configuration manner. The second network device can configure corresponding parameters for the UE according to the parameters of the UE under the first network device, thereby reducing the complexity of configuration.

[0085] S403, the second network device sends configuration information for supporting the UE to communicate with the second network device (for convenience, referred to as the configuration information of the second network device) to the first network device and / or the UE, or the second network device sends the configuration information of the second network device to the UE through the first network device. For example, the configuration information of the second network device can include one or more of the following: information of random access resources, information of BWPs, measurement configuration information, radio bearer configuration information, MAC layer configuration information, physical layer configuration information, information of search spaces, or radio network temporary identity (RNTI). The information of BWPs is used to indicate one or more BWPs, for example, the information of BWPs is an identifier of one or more BWPs, or other information used to identify one or more BWPs, or information used to configure one or more BWPs (for example, bandwidth of the BWP).

[0086] In an implementation, the configuration information of the second network device comprises first configuration information and second configuration information. The first configuration information is used to configure one or more of time domain resource, frequency domain resource or code domain resource, and enable the UE to receive the indication information from the second network device. The indication information can be the first indication information in S301. The UE can learn from the indication information that the first network device has failed, or the network device serving the UE has switched, or the UE needs to switch from the first network device to the second network device. For example, the first configuration information can comprise one or more of the following: information of BWP, information of search space, and / or RNTI. The second configuration information is used to configure the working parameters of the UE corresponding to the second network device, which can comprise one or more of the following: information of random access resource, information of BWP related to random access, measurement configuration information, radio bearer configuration information, MAC layer configuration information, and physical layer configuration information.

[0087] The BWP information in the first configuration information is used to indicate one or more BWP (referred to as first BWP for the convenience of description) through which the second network device sends the indication information to the UE. The information of search space in the first configuration information is used to indicate a search space, such as the identification of the search space, or other information used to indicate the search space, for the UE to receive the indication information in the search space. The search space can be a common search space, for example, the second network device sends the indication information through beam sweeping. Alternatively, the search space indicated by the identification of the search space is a dedicated search space of the UE. The RNTI in the first configuration information can be a common RNTI, such as cell-radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI).

[0088] The first BWP is a downlink BWP, which can be all or part of the BWP configured for the UE, i.e., the first BWP can include one or more BWP configured for the UE. The UE works under the first network device, which configures one or more BWP for the UE, and the information of the BWP can indicate part or all of the one or more BWP. If the information of the BWP indicates one BWP, the second network device can send the indication information on the BWP when sending the indication information to the UE, and the UE can also detect and receive the indication information on the BWP. Or if the information of the BWP indicates multiple BWP, the second network device can send the indication information on all or part of the multiple BWP when sending the indication information to the UE, and the UE can detect all or part of the multiple BWP to receive the indication information. Therefore, even if the UE fails to detect or receive on one of the BWP, it can also detect and receive successfully on other BWP, thereby improving the success rate of the UE receiving the indication information.

[0089] The first BWP can be one or more downlink BWP predetermined for transmitting the indication information (e.g., the first indication information in S301). For example, the first BWP can be specified by a protocol or can be pre-set by other means.

[0090] For example, the first BWP is an initial downlink BWP of the UE, and the initial downlink BWP refers to a BWP used by the UE to receive system information, paging and perform random access from a cell when the UE is in an RRC non-connected state. Before the UE receives a system information block 1 (SIB1), the bandwidth of the initial downlink BWP of the UE is the bandwidth of a control resource set 0 (CORESET#0) indicated by a master information block (MIB), and after the UE receives the SIB1, if the SIB1 does not include the bandwidth of the initial downlink BWP, the bandwidth of the initial downlink BWP of the UE is still the bandwidth of the CORESET#0 indicated by the MIB, and thus it can also be considered that the first BWP is a downlink BWP corresponding to the CORESET#0. The initial downlink BWP of the UE or the CORESET#0 is a cell-level parameter, so that the UE and the second network device can be aligned. Therefore, if the first BWP is the initial downlink BWP of the UE, both the second network device and the UE can definitely determine which BWP is the first BWP, so that the second network device can send the indication information to the UE on the initial downlink BWP of the UE, and the UE can also detect and receive the indication information on the initial downlink BWP of the UE, thereby improving the success rate of the UE receiving the indication information. Moreover, the second network device only needs to send the indication information on the initial downlink BWP of the UE, and does not need to send the indication information on multiple BWPs, thereby reducing the power consumption of the second network device; similarly, the UE only needs to detect the indication information on the initial downlink BWP of the UE, and does not need to detect the indication information on multiple BWPs, thereby also reducing the power consumption of the UE. Moreover, this method can also reduce the signaling overhead caused by sending the indication information.

[0091] For example, the first BWP is an active downlink BWP of the UE. When the UE has traffic, the base station schedules the UE from the initial BWP to a BWP with a bandwidth matching the traffic, which is referred to as an active BWP of the UE. The UE can receive a paging and other system information (OSI) on the active BWP. The OSI includes system information other than SIB1. A UE can be configured with multiple active BWPs, but at a certain moment, the UE can only use one active BWP. In this case, the configuration information of the second network device includes information of the BWP, which indicates the active downlink BWP of the UE. If the first network device configures the UE with multiple downlink BWPs, the active downlink BWP of the UE can change. Then, the configuration information of the second network device does not indicate a certain fixed downlink BWP, and thus the second network device needs to infer which BWP is the active downlink BWP of the UE to send the indication information on the BWP, and the UE detects the indication information on the active downlink BWP of the UE. In this way, the UE can detect and receive the indication information without switching the radio frequency, which reduces the power consumption and time delay of the UE due to switching the radio frequency.

[0092] For another example, the first BWP is neither the initial downlink BWP of the UE nor the active downlink BWP of the UE, but one of the multiple BWPs configured for the UE. Since the first BWP can be specified by a protocol, the second network device and the UE can both know which BWP is the first BWP. Thus, the second network device can send the indication information to the UE on the first BWP, and the UE can detect and receive the indication information on the first BWP, which improves the success rate of receiving the indication information by the UE. Moreover, the second network device only needs to send the indication information on the first BWP, and does not need to send the indication information on multiple BWPs, which reduces the power consumption of the second network device. Similarly, the UE only needs to detect the indication information on the first BWP, and does not need to detect the indication information on multiple BWPs, which also reduces the power consumption of the UE. Moreover, this way can also reduce the signaling overhead due to sending the indication information.

[0093] In another implementation, the second network device can not need to send part or all of the working parameters to the UE in advance if the dynamic nature of the working parameters is taken into account. The BWP information, the search space information, or the RNTI in the first configuration information are optional information. That is, the first configuration information can not include one or more of the information, and the UE learns one or more of the information in a default manner (e.g., according to a predetermined rule, or an agreed manner, or a protocol provision). When the BWP information, the search space information, and the RNTI information are all in a default manner, the second network device can not include the first configuration information in the configuration information of the second network device sent to the UE.

[0094] For example, the second network device does not send the information of the first BWP to the UE in the following cases. (1) The second network device is configured to send the indication information on all the downlink BWPs configured for the UE by default (or, by a protocol provision), so that the UE can detect the indication information from the second network device no matter which downlink BWP is activated for the UE when the second network device sends the indication information. (2) The second network device is configured to send the indication information on the activated downlink BWP of the UE by default (or, by a protocol provision), so that the UE can detect the indication information from the second network device on the activated downlink BWP and receive the indication information. In this case, the second network device can not need to send the information of the first BWP to the UE. (3) The second network device is configured to send the indication information to the UE on the initial downlink BWP of the UE by default (or, by a protocol provision), so that the UE can detect the indication information from the second network device on the initial downlink BWP of the UE and receive the indication information. (4) The second network device is configured to send the indication information to the UE on the first BWP by default (or, by a protocol provision), so that the UE can detect the indication information from the second network device on the first BWP and receive the indication information. The first BWP can be one of the BWPs configured for the UE. In the case that the second network device does not send the information of the first BWP to the UE, the second network device can send the first configuration information to the UE to configure the search space information and / or the RNTI information, etc.

[0095] For example, the second network device can not send the information of the RNTI to the UE in the following cases. (1) By default (or, as specified in the protocol), the second network device scrambles the indication information with a cell-radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI). In this case, the second network device can scramble the first indication information with the C-RNTI, and the UE can also scramble the first indication information with the C-RNTI. Alternatively, (2) By default, the second network device scrambles the indication information with a common RNTI. In this case, the second network device can scramble the first indication information with the common RNTI, and the UE can also scramble the first indication information with the common RNTI.

[0096] The information of the BWP related to random access in the second configuration information (referred to as the second BWP information) is used to indicate the downlink BWP applied by the UE in the random access procedure with the second network device. The second BWP information is, for example, the identifier of one or more BWPs, or other information used to identify one or more BWPs, or information used to configure one or more BWPs (for example, including the bandwidth of the BWP, etc.).

[0097] The information of the random access resource in the second configuration information is used to indicate the resource for the UE to perform random access with the second network device, such as the time-frequency resource for random access, or the number of preambles, etc. For example, after the UE sends a preamble to the second network device, the UE performs blind detection of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) from the second network device on the BWP indicated by the second BWP information.

[0098] The information of the search space in the second configuration information is, for example, the identifier of the search space, or other information used to indicate the search space. The search space indicated by the identifier of the search space can be a common search space. For example, the second network device sends the indication information in a manner of beam sweeping. Alternatively, the search space indicated by the identifier of the search space is a dedicated search space of the UE.

[0099] The RNTI in the second configuration information can be a common RNTI, or can also be other types of RNTI, for example, an RNTI specially configured for the UE. For example, in the case where the second network device sends the indication information in a broadcast manner, multiple UEs can receive the indication information, so that part or all of the multiple UEs can switch to the second network device, therefore, the second network device does not need to send too much indication information, which helps to save signaling overhead. In this case, the second network device can scramble the indication information by using a common RNTI, and the UE can also use the common RNTI to descramble the information from the second network device.

[0100] In an implementation manner, the second network device previously sends part or all of the working parameters of the UE under the second network device (configuration information of the second network device) to the UE, so that the UE can apply these parameters if it needs to switch to the second network device later, without the need to request or wait for the second network device to send, which can improve the switching efficiency of the UE.

[0101] It should be noted that the first configuration information and the second configuration information can be sent by one message, or can also be sent by different messages. For example, the first network device can send the configuration information of the second network device to the UE by RRC message, or MAC CE, or DCI, etc. The parameters included in the above-mentioned configuration information of the second network device can be sent together by the same message, or can be sent separately by different messages. For example, the following information carried by one or more of RRC message / MAC CE / DCI: information of random access resource, information of second BWP, measurement configuration information, radio bearer configuration information, MAC layer configuration information, and physical layer configuration information. The following information carried by one or more of another RRC message / MAC CE / DCI: information of BWP, information of search space, or information of RNTI.

[0102] S404, the first network device fails.

[0103] S405, the second network device determines that the first network device fails.

[0104] In one embodiment, the second network device determines whether the first network device is malfunctioning by means of heartbeat detection. For example, the first network device periodically sends a heartbeat packet to the second network device, and the second network device determines that the first network device is operating normally if it receives the heartbeat packet from the first network device. If the second network device does not receive the heartbeat packet from the first network device within a first time period, it determines that the first network device is malfunctioning. Alternatively, the second network device periodically sends a heartbeat packet to the first network device, and the first network device determines that the second network device is operating normally if it receives the heartbeat packet from the second network device and sends a heartbeat feedback to the second network device. If the second network device does not receive the heartbeat feedback from the first network device within a first time period, it determines that the first network device is malfunctioning. The first time period can be a time period agreed upon by the first network device and the second network device, or a time period set by the second network device, or a time period specified by a protocol.

[0105] In another embodiment, the second network device determines whether the first network device is malfunctioning by means of measurement information from a UE. For example, the first network device sends a downlink reference signal (RS), such as a CSI-RS. After receiving the downlink RS from the first network device, the UE performs measurement and obtains measurement results (or measurement information). The UE sends the measurement information to the first network device, but the second network device can also detect the time-frequency domain position of the measurement information and receive the measurement information from the UE. Then, the second network device can determine whether the first network device is operating normally or malfunctioning according to the measurement information from the UE.

[0106] In another implementation, the second network device determines whether the first network device is malfunctioning based on hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledge (HARQ-ACK) information from the UE. For example, the first network device sends downlink data, and the UE sends HARQ-ACK information to the first network device after receiving the downlink data from the first network device. If the UE successfully receives the downlink data, the HARQ-ACK information can be an acknowledgement (ACK) message, and if the UE fails to receive the downlink data, the HARQ-ACK information can be a negative acknowledgement (NACK) message. The second network device can also detect the time-frequency domain position of the HARQ-ACK information, and thus the second network device can also receive the HARQ-ACK information from the UE. Then, the second network device determines whether the first network device is functioning normally or malfunctioning based on the HARQ-ACK information from the UE. For example, if the HARQ-ACK information received by the second network device indicates that the data transmission between the UE and the first network device is successful, the second network device determines that the first network device is functioning normally. Alternatively, if the HARQ-ACK information received by the second network device indicates that the data transmission between the UE and the first network device is unsuccessful, the second network device determines that the first network device is malfunctioning. The second network device can receive one or more HARQ-ACK information, which can be from one UE or multiple UEs. For example, if the number of HARQ-ACK information indicating unsuccessful data transmission with the first network device in the one or more HARQ-ACK information is greater than or equal to 50% x N, the second network device determines that the first network device is malfunctioning, where N is the total number of HARQ-ACK information received by the first network device.

[0107] In another implementation, when the first network device can no longer provide services for the UE due to some reasons, the first network device can actively notify the second network device, and the second network device can determine that the first network device is malfunctioning when the second network device learns that the first network device can no longer provide services for the UE.

[0108] The second network device can determine whether the first network device is faulty by using one of the above manners, or the second network device can determine whether the first network device is faulty by using two or more of the above manners, which can improve the accuracy of the determination result. The second network device can determine by itself or according to a protocol which manner or manners are used to determine whether the first network device is faulty. Alternatively, the second network device can determine whether the first network device is faulty by using other manners, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the manner in which the second network device determines whether the first network device is faulty.

[0109] S406. The second network device sends first indication information to the UE. For example, the second network device sends the first indication information to the UE to make the UE know that the first network device cannot continue to provide services for the UE, in a case where the second network device determines that the first network device is faulty. The first indication information indicates that the first network device is faulty, or indicates switching from the first network device to the second network device, or indicates switching of a network device serving the UE. The first indication information indicating that the first network device is faulty can mean that the first network device is faulty and / or invalid. The first indication information indicating switching from the first network device to the second network device can mean that the second network device is valid and / or the UE needs to switch to the second network device. The embodiments of the present application are to inform the UE that the UE cannot continue to work in a service network device (i.e., the first network device) by using another network device (e.g., the second network device). The second network device determines whether the first network device is faulty, which has high implementation feasibility, so that the UE can switch as soon as possible and reduce the service transmission delay. S406 can be the same step as S301 in the embodiments shown in FIG. 3. Figure 3 S301 can be the same step as S301 in the embodiments shown in FIG. 3.

[0110] The first indication information can be carried in an RRC message, a MAC CE, or a DCI message and sent to the UE.

[0111] The second network device can send the first indication information on the selected resources and send configuration information to inform the UE. The UE can determine the resources on which the first indication information is received according to the configuration information.

[0112] For example, in S403, the UE receives the configuration information of the second network device, and the UE knows the resources for receiving the first indication information. The UE receives the first indication information from the second network device according to the configuration information of the second network device.

[0113] For example, the UE receives the information of the BWP from the network device, if the information of the BWP indicates all or part of the BWP configured for the UE, the UE detects and receives the first indication information on one or more BWPs indicated by the information of the BWP. Or, if the information of the BWP indicates the initial downlink BWP of the UE, the UE detects and receives the first indication information on the initial downlink BWP of the UE. Or, if the information of the BWP indicates the activated downlink BWP of the UE, the UE detects and receives the first indication information on the activated downlink BWP of the UE. Or, if the information of the BWP indicates the first BWP, the first BWP is one or more of the BWPs configured for the UE, the UE detects and receives the first indication information on the first BWP.

[0114] For another example, the UE receives the information of the search space (e.g., common search space and / or dedicated search space) from the network device, then the UE detects and receives the first indication information in the search space indicated by the information of the search space.

[0115] For still another example, the UE receives the information of the RNTI from the network device, and uses the information of the RNTI to descramble the received first indication information. For example, the UE receives the common RNTI, and uses the common RNTI to descramble the first indication information transmitted by broadcasting.

[0116] Optionally, if S403 is not performed, or the UE does not receive the configuration information of the second network device, or the network device does not transmit the configuration information of the second network device, the UE can receive the first indication information from the second network device according to a predetermined rule. For example, by default (or, as specified by the protocol), the second network device transmits the first indication information through one of the following resources: (1) the first BWP, the first BWP being a predetermined BWP; (2) all downlink BWPs configured for the UE; (3) the activated downlink BWP of the UE; (4) the initial downlink BWP of the UE. The UE detects and receives the first indication information on the corresponding resource. For another example, by default (or, as specified by the protocol), the second network device scrambles the first indication information with the C-RNTI, then the UE descrambles the first indication information with the C-RNTI. For still another example, by default (or, as specified by the protocol), the second network device scrambles the indication information with the common RNTI, then the UE descrambles the first indication information with the common RNTI.

[0117] In this scenario, if the UE receives the first indication information via a first BWP (Band of Servants), where the first BWP is one of the BWPs configured for the UE, then if the first BWP differs from the UE's currently active downlink BWP, the UE needs to adjust its radio frequency (RF) frequency. For example, the UE adjusts the RF frequency of its receiving antenna from the frequency of the currently active downlink BWP to the frequency of the first BWP to complete the reception of the first indication information. The second network device may optionally refrain from scheduling data for the UE during the period when the UE adjusts its receiving antenna RF frequency to the frequency of the first BWP to reduce packet loss. Furthermore, if the first network device is faulty but still capable of scheduling data for the UE, it may optionally also refrain from scheduling data for the UE during the period when the UE adjusts its receiving antenna RF frequency to the frequency of the first BWP to reduce packet loss. The difference between the first BWP and the UE's active downlink BWP can be understood as the UE's RF reception range not being able to simultaneously cover the bandwidth of both the first BWP and the active downlink BWP, or in other words, the bandwidth of the first BWP and the active downlink BWP cannot simultaneously fall within the UE's RF reception range. From another perspective, the first BWP is different from the UE's activated downlink BWP. It can be considered that the first BWP and the UE's activated downlink BWP have no overlap, or that the first BWP and the UE's activated downlink BWP have overlap, but the first BWP also includes bandwidth not included in the UE's activated downlink BWP, and / or the UE's activated downlink BWP also includes bandwidth not included in the first BWP.

[0118] If the first BWP is the same as the UE's currently active downlink BWP, the UE does not need to adjust its radio frequency, and the UE can receive the first indication information on the currently active downlink BWP. If the UE's radio frequency reception range can simultaneously cover the bandwidth of the first BWP and the bandwidth of the UE's active downlink BWP, or in other words, if the bandwidth of the first BWP and the bandwidth of the UE's active downlink BWP both fall within the UE's radio frequency reception range, then the first BWP and the UE's active downlink BWP are considered the same. Alternatively, from another perspective, if the bandwidth of the first BWP is included within the bandwidth of the UE's active downlink BWP, then the first BWP and the UE's active downlink BWP are considered the same.

[0119] For example, you can refer to Figure 5A and Figure 5B .exist Figure 5A In the middle, the bandwidth of the first BWP ( Figure 5A The section marked with a slash (in the middle) is located within the bandwidth of the UE's active downlink BWP, and can be considered the same as the first BWP and the UE's active downlink BWP. Figure 5B In the middle, the bandwidth of the first BWP ( Figure 5BIf the first BWP and the activated downlink BWP of the UE have no intersection in bandwidth (e.g., the first BWP is located in the middle of the activated downlink BWP, or the first BWP is located in the edge of the activated downlink BWP), the first BWP can be considered as different from the activated downlink BWP of the UE.

[0120] If the UE receives the first indication information through the initial downlink BWP of the UE, the adjustment manner of the UE for the radio frequency of the receiving antenna is similar to the above process, and thus is not described herein.

[0121] As an optional implementation, S403 can not be performed, or in S403, the network device can not need to send the second configuration information (e.g., one or more of the information of the random access resource, the information of the second BWP, the measurement configuration information, the radio bearer configuration information, the MAC layer configuration information, or the physical layer configuration information) to the UE, but the first indication information includes the second configuration information for supporting the communication between the UE and the second network device, so that the transmission overhead can be reduced, especially when the UE does not switch for a long time. That is, the second network device sends the second configuration information to the UE when the UE needs to perform switching, and the configuration information is more in line with the current network situation. If the UE receives the configuration information in S403, the first indication information can optionally not include the configuration information. In this case, when the UE receives the first indication information, the configuration information of the second network device received in S403 is valid, or in other words, the UE starts to apply the configuration information of the second network device for the communication with the second network device.

[0122] The second configuration information can refer to the related description in S403. For example, one or more of the following: the information of the random access resource, the information of the second BWP, the measurement configuration information, the radio bearer configuration information, the MAC layer configuration information, or the physical layer configuration information.

[0123] In an implementation, the second configuration information can be sent separately. For example, the information related to the random access is sent through the DCI, and after the UE completes the random access under the second network device, the network device sends other parameters.

[0124] In an implementation, the first indication information and the second configuration information are carried in one message. For example, the first network device sends the first indication information to the UE through a message such as an RRC message, a MAC CE, or a DCI. In addition to the first indication information, the message can also include the second configuration information. For example, the first indication information occupies one or more bits. Taking the case where the first indication information occupies one bit as an example, if the value of the bit is "1", it indicates that the first network device is faulty, or indicates that the UE is switched from the first network device to the second network device, or is used to indicate that the network device serving the UE is switched. If the value of the bit is "0", it indicates that the first network device is normal, or indicates that the UE is not switched from the first network device to the second network device, or is used to indicate that the network device serving the UE is not switched. Alternatively, the first indication information can be used to implicitly indicate that the first network device cannot serve the UE. For example, if the second network device sends the first indication information, it implies that the first network device is faulty, or implies that the UE is switched from the first network device to the second network device, or is used to imply that the network device serving the UE is switched. If the second network device does not send the first indication information, it implies that the first network device is normal, or implies that the UE is not switched from the first network device to the second network device, or implies that the network device serving the UE is not switched. In this case, the number of bits occupied by the first indication information and the value of the bits are not limited.

[0125] In another implementation, the first indication information includes information that can be understood by the second configuration information. That is, in addition to being used to configure the working parameters of the UE corresponding to the second network device, the configuration information can also implicitly indicate that the first network device is faulty, or implicitly indicate that the UE is switched from the first network device to the second network device, or implicitly indicate that the network device serving the UE is switched. This approach can save signaling overhead.

[0126] It should be noted that the second network device sends the first indication information to the UE (S406). Optionally, it can not be necessary to take the first network device being faulty as a prerequisite (S404, 405), but can be initiated by the second network device. For example, when the primary device and the secondary device need to switch functions, or the primary device needs to be repaired, the second network device can actively initiate the first indication information, and is not limited to the scenario where the first network device is in a faulty state. Therefore, the method provided in the embodiments of the present application can enable flexible switching between the first network device and the second network device.

[0127] S407, as an optional step, the UE sends response information corresponding to the first indication information to the second network device, and correspondingly, the second network device receives the response information from the UE. Wherein, if the first network device and the second network device are opaque to the UE, the UE can explicitly send the response information to the second network device; or if the first network device and the second network device are transparent to the UE, the UE only knows to send the response information to the network device, but does not know that the network device may have multiple, in which case the UE considers to send the response information to the network device. S407 is the same as Figure 3 S302 introduced in the embodiment shown in the figure can be the same step.

[0128] For example, a certain message sent by the UE to the second network device in the process of random access to the second network device can be regarded as the response information, that is, the UE accesses the second network device, and it is considered that the UE responds to the first indication information, for example, the response information is preamble, or the response information can be a scheduling transmission message, for example, Msg3 in the random access process, or the response message can also be MsgB in the random access process, etc.

[0129] In the embodiment of the present application, whether the other network device (the first network device) fails is determined by one network device (the second network device), which is easier to implement than determining whether the network device fails by the UE. The UE determines the network device failure or needs to switch through the indication of the network side, and the time consumed to determine that the first network device fails can be determined, so as to reduce the interruption time of service transmission, improve the continuity of service, and improve the reliability of service.

[0130] Figure 6 A communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown. Compared with the embodiment shown in the figure, Figure 4 the embodiment shown in the figure, Figure 6 The embodiment shown in the figure adds the process of downlink beam training, which can improve the success rate of the second network device in sending the indication information to the UE. Figure 6 the embodiment shown in the figure, Figure 4 the embodiment shown in the figure is applied alone or in combination.

[0131] S601, the second network device sends configuration information of the second downlink RS to the first network device, and correspondingly, the first network device receives the configuration information of the second downlink RS from the second network device. In Figure 6In the second network device, the configuration information of the second downlink RS is denoted as the configuration information of the downlink RS 2. The configuration information of the second downlink RS can be used to configure the downlink RS of the second network device, for example, the configuration information of the second downlink RS is used to configure the transmission resource of the downlink RS of the second network device. The downlink RS of the second network device is, for example, a CSI-RS, or an SSB, or other signals. Wherein, the SSB can also be regarded as a special RS. Wherein, the configuration information of the second downlink RS can also be referred to as the second sub-configuration information.

[0132] For example, the configuration information of the second downlink RS includes one or more of the following: time domain information, bitmap, or frequency domain information.

[0133] For example, the downlink RS is an SSB. For a cell, a fixed number of SSBs can be corresponded, for example, 8 SSBs can be transmitted in total in low frequency, and 64 SSBs can be transmitted in total in high frequency. The second network device can not transmit all the SSBs, and can only transmit part of the SSBs. In a possible implementation, the configuration information of the second downlink RS can include a bitmap, the number of bits included in the bitmap is the same as the number of SSBs that the second network device can transmit in total, and the bitmap is used to indicate which SSBs the second network device will transmit. For example, for the case of high frequency, the bitmap can include 64 bits, if some bits in the 64 bits are valued as "1", it means that the second network device will transmit the SSB corresponding to the bit, and if some bits in the 64 bits are valued as "0", it means that the second network device will not transmit the SSB corresponding to the bit. Then, the UE can determine which downlink RSs the second network device will transmit according to the bitmap. In another possible implementation, the configuration information of the second downlink RS includes two groups of bits. For example, when there are 64 SSBs in total, the 64 SSBs can be divided into 8 groups, each group including 8 SSBs. The first group of 8 bits is used to indicate which group of SSBs the network device will transmit in the 8 groups, and the second group of 8 bits is used to indicate which SSB in the group is transmitted. For example, the bit corresponding to the third group in the first group of 8 bits is valued as "1", which means that the network device transmits the SSB in the third group, and the bit corresponding to the second SSB in the second group of 8 bits is valued as "1", which means that the network device transmits the second SSB in the third group. Wherein, the number of groups and the number of RSs in each group are only examples.

[0134] The time domain information indicates a time domain position of the downlink RS of the second network device, and the frequency domain information indicates a frequency domain position of the downlink RS of the second network device. The time domain information can include one or more of a period, an offset, or half-frame indication information. The period can be a transmission period of the downlink RS of the second network device; the offset can indicate a time domain offset of the downlink RS of the second network device in one transmission period, for example, the transmission period of the downlink RS of the second network device is 20 ms, and the offset is 2 ms, which means that the downlink RS of the second network device starts to be transmitted at the 2nd ms in one transmission period; and the half-frame indication is used to indicate that the downlink RS of the second network device is located in the first half frame or the second half frame of one radio frame.

[0135] S602, the first network device sends configuration information of the first downlink RS and configuration information of the second downlink RS to the UE, and correspondingly, the UE receives the configuration information of the first downlink RS and the configuration information of the second downlink RS. The configuration information of the first downlink RS can be used to configure the downlink RS of the first network device, for example, the configuration information of the first downlink RS configures the transmission resource of the downlink RS of the first network device. In Figure 6 In an implementation, the configuration information of the first downlink RS is denoted as the configuration information of the downlink RS1. The downlink RS of the first network device can be a CSI-RS, or can also be an SSB, or can also be another signal. The configuration information of the first downlink RS can also be referred to as first sub-configuration information.

[0136] In an implementation, Figure 6 The embodiments shown can be combined with Figure 4 the embodiments shown. For example, S602 can be the same step as S401 in the embodiments shown, and the first network device can send the configuration information of the first downlink RS, the configuration information of the second downlink RS, and the configuration information of the first network device to the UE through one message; or S602 can be the same step as S403 in the embodiments shown, and the first network device can send the configuration information of the first downlink RS, the configuration information of the second downlink RS, and the configuration information of the second network device to the UE through one message. Figure 4 Figure 4 In another implementation, the first network device sends the configuration information of the first downlink RS and the configuration information of the second downlink RS to the UE without sending other information together. The configuration information of the first downlink RS and the configuration information of the second downlink RS can also be referred to as fourth configuration information.

[0137] ​The first network device sends the configuration information of the first downlink RS and the configuration information of the second downlink RS to the UE through a system message or an RRC message. The system message is, for example, SIB1, and the RRC message is, for example, an RRC reconfiguration message. For example, the first network device defines the configuration information of the first downlink RS through a non-extended field in the SIB1 or the RRC reconfiguration message, and defines the configuration information of the second downlink RS through an extended field newly added in the SIB1 or the RRC reconfiguration message.

[0138] The first network device can send two sets of configurations for configuring downlink RSs corresponding to different network devices. In order to distinguish the two sets of configurations, the first network device can add first information to the configuration information of the second downlink RS, which indicates that the configuration information of the second downlink RS corresponds to the second network device, or indicates that the network device corresponding to the configuration information of the second downlink RS is different from the network device corresponding to the configuration information of the first downlink RS. Thus, after the UE receives the configuration information of the first downlink RS and the configuration information of the second downlink RS, it can be clear that these are two sets of downlink RS configurations. Alternatively, the first network device can also indicate the network device corresponding to the configuration information of the second downlink RS without adding extra information to the configuration information of the second downlink RS. For example, the configuration information of the second downlink RS includes second information, and the second information is pre-set time domain information, for example, is defined by a protocol, so that the UE can determine from the second information included in the configuration information of the second downlink RS that the configuration information of the second downlink RS and the configuration information of the first downlink RS correspond to different network devices. The second information can be a period, an offset, a half-frame indication, frequency domain information or a bitmap included in the configuration information of the second downlink RS. Alternatively, the configuration information of the first downlink RS and the configuration information of the second downlink RS can be carried through different information elements (IEs), and the UE can distinguish from the corresponding IEs that the configuration information of the second downlink RS and the configuration information of the first downlink RS correspond to different network devices, without adding extra information to indicate.

[0139] For example, the first network device sends, to the UE, configuration information of the first downlink RS and configuration information of the second downlink RS through an RRC message. In addition to carrying the configuration information of the first downlink RS through an original (or non-extended) IE, the RRC message further newly adds (or extends) one or more IEs, and the newly added IEs can carry the configuration information of the second downlink RS. Taking SSB as an example of the downlink RS, for example, four IEs are newly added in the RRC message, which are absolute frequency SSB-2, SSB position burst-2, SSB periodicity serving cell-2, and ssb-PBCH-BlockPower-2. Among them, absolute frequency SSB-2 is used to indicate frequency information of the SSB configured by the configuration information of the second downlink RS, for example, the indicated frequency information is absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN)-ValueNR. SSB position burst-2 can indicate which SSBs will be sent by the second network device, for example, a cell has 64 SSBs, but the second network device does not necessarily send all the 64 SSBs, and SSB position burst-2 can indicate which SSBs in the 64 SSBs will be sent by the second network device. SSB periodicity serving cell-2 can indicate the transmission period of the SSB by the second network device. SSB-PBCH-BlockPower-2 can indicate the transmission power of the SSB by the second network device. Of course, the names of the above IEs are only examples, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the names of the IEs.

[0140] Among them, absolute frequency SSB-2 is an optional IE, that is, the IE can be newly added to carry the configuration information of the second downlink RS, or the IE can not be newly added to carry the configuration information of the second downlink RS. SSB position burst-2 is also an optional IE, that is, the IE can be newly added to carry the configuration information of the second downlink RS, or the IE can not be newly added to carry the configuration information of the second downlink RS.

[0141] For example, the four IEs newly added in the RRC message are as follows:

[0142]

[0143] For example, the RRC message is added with one or more IEs, for example, one IE is added in the RRC message and is represented as follows:

[0144] csi-MeasConfig2 SetupRelease{CSI-MeasConfig}

[0145] In addition to the IE, one or more other IEs can be added. The form of the added IE can refer to the form of the non-extended IE in the RRC message, or in other words, can refer to the form of the IE in the RRC message for carrying the configuration information of the first downlink RS. The name of the IE above is only an example, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the name of the IE.

[0146] The content included in the configuration information of the first downlink RS can refer to the introduction of the content included in the second sub-configuration information, which is similar.

[0147] That is, in addition to configuring the downlink RS of the first network device for the UE, the first network device can also configure the downlink RS of the second network device for the UE, so that the UE can receive the downlink RS from the first network device and the downlink RS from the second network device.

[0148] S603, the second network device sends the downlink RS, and correspondingly, the UE receives the downlink RS from the second network device. For example, the downlink RS sent by the second network device is called the second downlink RS (in the Figure 6 , the second downlink RS is denoted as downlink RS2), wherein the second downlink RS can include one or more downlink RSs, that is, the second network device can send one or more downlink RSs, but the downlink RS sent by the second network device is collectively called the second downlink RS.

[0149] The second network device sends the second downlink RS, and the UE can receive the second downlink RS from the second network device according to the second sub-configuration information.

[0150] S604, the first network device sends the downlink RS, and correspondingly, the UE receives the downlink RS from the first network device. For example, the downlink RS sent by the first network device is called the first downlink RS (in the Figure 6 , the first downlink RS is denoted as downlink RS1), wherein the first downlink RS can include one or more downlink RSs, that is, the first network device can send one or more downlink RSs, but the downlink RS sent by the first network device is collectively called the first downlink RS.

[0151] The first network device sends the first downlink RS, and the UE can receive the first downlink RS from the first network device according to the first sub-configuration information.

[0152] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the steps of S603 and S604 are not limited. S603 can occur before S604, or S604 can occur before S603, or S603 and S604 can occur at the same time.

[0153] S605, the UE measures the received downlink RS to obtain a measurement result. The measurement result is, for example, a reference signal receiving power (RSRP), a reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ), or a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR).

[0154] If the UE receives the first downlink RS, the UE can measure the first downlink RS to obtain a measurement result 1 (also referred to as a first measurement result, or a measurement result of the downlink RS1), which is represented as the measurement result of the downlink RS1 in Figure 6 The first downlink RS includes one or more downlink RSs. The measurement result 1 includes the measurement results of the one or more downlink RSs, or the UE processes the measurement results of the one or more downlink RSs (for example, selects the measurement result of the best downlink RS, or performs average processing on the measurement results) to obtain the measurement result 1.

[0155] If the UE receives the second downlink RS, the UE can measure the second downlink RS to obtain a measurement result 2 (also referred to as a measurement result of the downlink RS2), which is represented as the measurement result of the downlink RS2 in Figure 6 The second downlink RS includes one or more downlink RSs, and the measurement result 2 includes the measurement results of the one or more downlink RSs, or the UE processes the measurement results of the one or more downlink RSs (for example, selects the best measurement result, or performs average processing on the measurement results) to obtain the measurement result 2.

[0156] S606, the UE sends the measurement result to the network device. The measurement result includes the measurement result 1 and / or the measurement result 2.

[0157] The UE can distinguish the measurement result 1 and the measurement result 2 when sending the measurement results. For example, the UE can add information (e.g., third information) to the measurement result 2 to indicate that the measurement result 2 corresponds to the configuration information of the second downlink RS, or to indicate that the measurement result 2 corresponds to the second network device, so that the first network device can determine the correspondence between the measurement result and the network device. Alternatively, the UE carries the measurement result 1 and the measurement result 2 in different IEs, and the first network device can distinguish that the measurement result 1 and the measurement result 2 correspond to different network devices according to the corresponding IEs, so that the UE does not need to send additional indication information.

[0158] For example, the UE sends the measurement results to the first network device through an RRC message. In addition to carrying the measurement result 1 through the original (or non-extended) IE, the RRC message adds (or extends) one or more IEs, and these added IEs can carry the measurement result 2. For example, two IEs are added in the RRC message, one of which is cellResults2, which is used to indicate that the measurement result corresponds to SSB and / or CSI-RS. The other IE is rsIdexResusts2, which includes the measurement result of one or more SSBs received by the UE from the second network device, and / or includes the measurement result of one or more CSI-RSs received by the UE from the second network device. Of course, the names of the above IEs are only examples, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the names of the IEs.

[0159] For example, the two IEs added in the RRC message are as follows:

[0160]

[0161] S607, the first network device sends the measurement result 2 to the second network device, and correspondingly, the second network device receives the measurement result 2 from the first network device.

[0162] Since the UE distinguishes when sending the measurement results, the first network device can identify which measurement results are the measurement result 2 corresponding to the second network device. The first network device can send the measurement result 2 to the second network device. After obtaining the measurement result 2, the second network device can determine in which direction of the downlink RS of the second network device the UE is located according to the measurement result 2.

[0163] S608, the second network device determines the second state information according to the measurement result 2. The second state information can include the number of downlink RSs, for example, the second state information includes one or more numbers, and one of the numbers corresponds to one downlink RS of the second network device.

[0164] After the second network device obtains the first measurement result, the second network device can determine, according to the first measurement result, in which direction of which downlink RS of the second network device the UE is located. For example, the second network device obtains second state information, for example, a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state, which can include one or more numbers, one of which corresponds to a downlink RS of the second network device, and the downlink RS corresponding to the numbers is the downlink RS in the direction in which the UE is located. Then if the second network device subsequently sends indication information in the direction corresponding to the TCI state, the UE can more accurately receive, thereby improving the UE's reception success rate, and the second network device can also not have to send indication information in other directions, saving the power consumption of the second network device.

[0165] S609. The second network device sends second state information to the first network device, and correspondingly, the first network device receives the second state information from the second network device.

[0166] Alternatively, if the second network device does not send indication information in a beam manner, but omni-directionally, the second network device does not need to determine the second state information, and the second network device does not need to send the second state information to the first network device. Therefore, S608 and S609 are optional steps.

[0167] S610. The first network device sends first state information to the UE, and correspondingly, the UE receives the first state information from the first network device.

[0168] For example, the first state information includes first sub-state information and second sub-state information, and the second sub-state information can be the same information as the second state information, or the second sub-state information is determined according to the second state information. The first sub-state information can include the number of downlink RSs, for example, the first sub-state information includes one or more numbers, one of which corresponds to a downlink RS of the first network device.

[0169] The first network device obtains the measurement result 1, and determines, according to the measurement result 1, in which directions of which downlink RSs of the first network device the UE is located. For example, the first network device obtains first sub-state information, for example, a TCI state, which can include one or more numbers, one of which corresponds to a downlink RS of the first network device, and the downlink RSs corresponding to the numbers are the downlink RSs in the direction where the UE is located. Then if the first network device subsequently sends information in the direction corresponding to the TCI state, the UE can more accurately receive, thereby improving the UE's reception success rate, and the first network device can also not have to send indication information in other directions, saving the first network device's power consumption.

[0170] The first network device obtains the measurement result 1, and determines, according to the measurement result 1, in which directions of which downlink RSs of the first network device the UE is located. For example, the first network device obtains first sub-state information, for example, a TCI state, which can include one or more numbers, one of which corresponds to a downlink RS of the first network device, and the downlink RSs corresponding to the numbers are the downlink RSs in the direction where the UE is located. Then if the first network device subsequently sends information in the direction corresponding to the TCI state, the UE can more accurately receive, thereby improving the UE's reception success rate, and the first network device can also not have to send indication information in other directions, saving the first network device's power consumption.

[0171] Alternatively, if S608 and S609 are not performed, the TCI state can not include the second sub-state information.

[0172] S611, the first network device fails.

[0173] S612, the second network device determines that the first network device fails.

[0174] For the determination of the second network device that the first network device fails in S612, please refer to the description of S405 in Figure 4 , which will not be repeated here.

[0175] Alternatively, S612 is an optional step whereby the UE determines that the first network device is faulty. For example, if the UE detects a radio link failure (RLF) event between itself and the first network device, it can determine that the first network device is faulty. Alternatively, the UE can determine the first network device is faulty in other ways.

[0176] S613. The second network device sends a first indication message to the UE, and correspondingly, the UE receives the first indication message from the second network device. For details regarding the second network device sending the first indication message to the UE in S613, please refer to... Figure 3 The details related to S301 will not be repeated here.

[0177] For example, Figure 6 The illustrated embodiments and Figure 4 In the illustrated embodiment, if S403 is executed, the second network device can send first indication information to the UE, and the UE can receive the first indication information from the second network device according to the first configuration information; or, Figure 6 The illustrated embodiments and Figure 4 The illustrated embodiment is used in combination, but S403 is not executed, or... Figure 6 The illustrated embodiments and Figure 4 If the illustrated embodiment is not combined, then the second network device can send configuration information of the indication information to the UE according to the protocol or according to the default rules, and the UE can receive the first indication information from the second network device according to the protocol or according to the default rules.

[0178] If S608 and S609 are not executed, the second network device can transmit first indication information through at least one transmit beam, and the UE detects and receives the first indication information on at least one receive beam. The at least one receive beam corresponds to the first downlink RS. The at least one receive beam includes all or part of the receive beams used by the UE to receive the first downlink RS. The number of the at least one transmit beam may be greater than or equal to the number of the at least one receive beam, but at least one transmit beam corresponds to one of the at least one receive beam, thereby enabling the UE to successfully receive the first indication information.

[0179] Or, if S608 and S609 are performed, and the first state information includes the second sub-state information, the second network device can send the first indication information on the sending beam corresponding to the number of the downlink RS included in the second sub-state information, and the UE can receive the first indication information on the receiving beam corresponding to the number of the downlink RS included in the second sub-state information. In this way, the second network device does not need to send the first indication information on more sending beams, the UE does not need to detect the first indication information on more receiving beams, and the sending beam of the second network device and the receiving beam of the UE can be aligned, thereby reducing the power consumption of the second network device and the UE.

[0180] Or, S611 and S612 are optional steps, that is, even if the first network device is not determined to be faulty, the second network device can send the first indication information to the UE.

[0181] For more information about S613, refer to the description of S406 in the embodiment shown in Figure 4

[0182] S614, the UE sends response information corresponding to the first indication information to the second network device, and correspondingly, the second network device receives the response information from the UE. S614 can be the same step as S407 described in the embodiment shown in Figure 3

[0183] For more information about S614, refer to the description of S407 in the embodiment shown in Figure 4

[0184] If the first network device is determined to be faulty by the UE, the second network device is switched to. In this case, S612, S613 and S614 can also not be performed, that is, optional steps.

[0185] In the embodiments of the present application, whether the other network device (the first network device) is faulty is determined by one network device (the second network device), which is easier to implement than determining whether the network device is faulty by the UE, can reduce the time consumed for determining that the first network device is faulty, thereby reducing the interruption time of service transmission and improving the continuity and reliability of the service. In addition, the process of downlink beam training is introduced in the embodiments of the present application, and the second network device can send the first indication information according to the result of the downlink beam training when sending the first indication information to the UE, for example, sending the first indication information in the direction in which the UE successfully receives the downlink RS, thereby improving the success rate of the UE receiving the first indication information, and saving the power consumption of the second network device and the UE without sending the first indication information on too many beams.

[0186] Figure 7 ​​​The embodiment of the present application further provides another communication method, which can be applied to the network architecture shown in Figure 2A , Figure 2B , and / or Figure 2C . Compared with the embodiment shown in Figure 4 or the embodiment shown in Figure 6 , the embodiment shown in Figure 7 introduces the process of uplink beam training, so that the UE can be more targeted when sending response information to the second network device. Figure 4 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 can be applied independently, in combination or partially in combination.

[0187] S701, the first network device sends configuration information (for brevity, referred to as uplink RS configuration information) that can be used to configure uplink RS to the UE. Correspondingly, the UE receives the uplink RS configuration information from the first network device. For example, the uplink RS configuration information can be used to configure the transmission resource of the uplink RS. The uplink RS is, for example, SRS, or can also be other signals. The uplink RS configuration information can also be referred to as the fifth configuration information.

[0188] For example, the uplink RS configuration information includes one or more of the following: time domain information, frequency domain information, transmission mode information, or power control parameters. The time domain information is used to indicate the time domain position of the uplink RS. The frequency domain information is used to indicate the frequency domain position of the uplink RS. The transmission mode information includes the purpose of configuring the SRS, for example, configuring the SRS is used for beam management, codebook transmission, non-codebook transmission, or antenna switching, or other purposes. The power control parameters can be used by the UE to perform power control when transmitting the uplink RS.

[0189] The uplink RS configuration information can configure one or more uplink RSs, each of which corresponds to a set of configuration information. In other words, the uplink RS configuration information can include one or more sub-configuration information, each of which is used to configure an uplink RS. In order to distinguish different sub-configuration information, each sub-configuration information is identified by a number (for example, ID). Since the sub-configuration information corresponds to the uplink RS, the ID of the sub-configuration information can be used to indicate the uplink RS. If the uplink RS configuration information configures multiple uplink RSs, "multiple" here can be understood as signals of different types, for example, SRS is regarded as an uplink RS, and another signal other than SRS is regarded as another uplink RS. Alternatively, "multiple" here can also be signals of the same type, for example, multiple RSs are all SRS, but the corresponding sub-configuration information can be different (for example, at least one of the time domain information, the frequency domain information, the power control parameters or the transmission mode can be different).

[0190] The first network device can send the configuration information of the uplink RS through one or more RRC messages, MAC CEs, or DCI messages. The first network device can send the configuration information of the uplink RS to the UE separately without other information, or send the configuration information of the uplink RS together with other information. For example, the configuration information of the uplink RS is sent together with the configuration information of the first network device. Figure 7 The embodiments shown can be combined with the embodiments shown in Figure 4 The S701 can be combined with the S402 and S403 to be one step, in which the first network device sends the configuration information of the uplink RS and the configuration information of the first network device to the UE through one message (S402); or the S701 can be combined with the S403 to be one step, in which the first network device sends the configuration information of the uplink RS and the configuration information of the second network device to the UE through one message.

[0191] The S702 can be combined with the S701 to be one step, in which the first network device sends the configuration information of the uplink RS to the second network device through one message.

[0192] In addition to sending the configuration information of the uplink RS to the UE, the first network device can also send the configuration information of the uplink RS to the second network device, so that if the UE sends the uplink signal according to the configuration information of the uplink RS, the second network device can also receive it in addition to the first network device.

[0193] The S701 can occur before the S702, or the S701 can occur after the S702, or the S701 and the S702 can occur at the same time.

[0194] The S703 can be combined with the S701 to be one step, in which the UE sends the uplink RS according to the configuration information of the uplink RS, and the first network device receives the uplink RS from the UE.

[0195] For example, the UE sends the uplink RS according to the configuration information of the uplink RS, and the first network device and / or the second network device can receive the uplink RS from the UE according to the configuration information of the uplink RS. For example, the configuration information of the uplink RS includes time domain information, the UE can send the uplink RS according to the time domain position indicated by the time domain information, the first network device can detect and receive the uplink RS from the UE at the time domain position indicated by the time domain information, and the second network device can also detect and receive the uplink RS from the UE at the time domain position indicated by the time domain information.

[0196] The S704 can be combined with the S703 to be one step, in which the first network device measures the received uplink RS to obtain the measurement result 3.

[0197] The first network device receives the uplink RS and measures the uplink RS to obtain a measurement result (referred to as measurement result 3). If the configuration information of the uplink RS includes multiple sub-configuration information, and the uplink RS received by the first network device corresponds to different sub-configuration information, the first network device can measure the uplink RS corresponding to one or more sub-configuration information respectively, and the one or more sub-configuration information can be all or part of the sub-configuration information included in the configuration information of the uplink RS. The measurement result 3 can include the measurement result of the first network device for one or more sub-configuration information. The measurement result 3 is, for example, RSRP, RSRQ, or SINR, etc.

[0198] S705, the second network device measures the received uplink RS to obtain a measurement result 4.

[0199] After receiving the uplink RS, the second network device can also measure the uplink RS to obtain a measurement result (referred to as measurement result 4). If the configuration information of the uplink RS includes multiple sub-configuration information, and the uplink RS received by the second network device corresponds to different sub-configuration information, the second network device can measure the uplink RS corresponding to one or more sub-configuration information respectively, and the one or more sub-configuration information can be all or part of the sub-configuration information included in the configuration information of the uplink RS. The measurement result 4 can include the measurement result of the second network device for one or more sub-configuration information. The measurement result 4 is, for example, RSRP, RSRQ, or SINR, etc.

[0200] S704 can occur before S705, or S704 can occur after S705, or S704 and S705 can occur at the same time.

[0201] S706, the second network device sends the measurement result 4 to the first network device, and correspondingly, the first network device receives the measurement result 4 from the second network device. The second network device can send all or part of the content of the measurement result 4 to the first network device, or the part of the measurement result 4 sent by the second network device to the first network device can be referred to as the second measurement result.

[0202] For example, the measurement result 4 includes the measurement result of the uplink RS corresponding to multiple sub-configuration information, and the second network device sends all or part of the measurement result included in the measurement result 4 to the first network device. For example, the second network device selects when feeding back the measurement result to the first network device. The second network device can obtain multiple measurement results, and the second network device can send the better measurement result to the first network device. In this way, when the first network device configures the uplink beam pointing to the second network device for the UE, the first network device can configure the uplink beam corresponding to the better measurement result to improve the information transmission quality.

[0203] Alternatively, S706 is an optional step. The second network device can also not send the measurement result 4 to the first network device, but can send the measurement result 4 to the UE, and then the UE can receive the measurement result 4 from the second network device.

[0204] S707, the first network device determines a second transmission beam according to the measurement result 4. The second transmission beam is used to transmit information to the second network device. The second transmission beam can include one or more transmission beams, and here the transmission beam is for the UE, that is, the uplink transmission beam of the UE.

[0205] The first network device can configure the uplink transmission direction according to the measurement result 4, or in other words, the first network device can configure the uplink beam according to the measurement result 4. The uplink beam configured according to the measurement result 4 can be used for the UE to transmit information to the second network device, for example, control information, which can be transmitted through a PUCCH, or data, which can be transmitted through a PUSCH.

[0206] For example, the measurement result 4 includes one measurement result, and then the first network device determines the transmission beam corresponding to the direction corresponding to the measurement result as the second transmission beam. For another example, the second measurement result includes multiple measurement results, and then the first network device determines the multiple transmission beams corresponding to the multiple measurement results as the second transmission beam, or the first network device selects at least one measurement result from the multiple measurement results, and determines at least one transmission beam corresponding to the at least one measurement result as the second transmission beam. For example, the first network device wants to select at least one measurement result from the multiple measurement results, and then the first network device selects at least one better measurement result, so as to improve the quality of the UE transmitting information through the second transmission beam.

[0207] In addition, the first network device can also configure the uplink transmission direction according to the measurement result 3, or in other words, the first network device can configure the transmission beam according to the measurement result 3. The transmission beam configured according to the measurement result 3 is referred to as the first transmission beam, and the first transmission beam can include one or more transmission beams, and here the transmission beam is for the UE, that is, the uplink transmission beam of the UE. The first transmission beam can be used for the UE to transmit information to the first network device, for example, control information, which can be transmitted through a PUCCH, or data, which can be transmitted through a PUSCH. For the configuration mode, please refer to the mode of the first network device configuring the second transmission beam according to the measurement result 4.

[0208] If the second network device does not send the measurement result 4 to the first network device, but sends the measurement result 4 to the UE, the first network device does not need to determine the second transmission beam according to the measurement result 4, but only needs to determine the first transmission beam according to the measurement result 3. In this case, the UE can determine the second transmission beam according to the measurement result 4, and the determination manner can refer to the introduction of the manner in which the first network device determines the second transmission beam.

[0209] S708, the first network device sends second indication information to the UE, and correspondingly, the UE receives the second indication information. The second indication information can include information of the first transmission beam and information of the second transmission beam, or in other words, the second indication information can indicate the first transmission beam and the second transmission beam.

[0210] In the second indication information, the transmission beam indicated by the information of the first transmission beam can correspond to the ID of the sub-configuration information one by one, and the transmission beam indicated by the information of the second transmission beam can also correspond to the ID of one sub-configuration information one by one. In addition, in the second indication information, the first network device can also add fifth information to the information of the second transmission beam, and the fifth information can indicate that the second transmission beam is a backup transmission beam, or the fifth information can indicate that the second transmission beam corresponds to the second network device. Therefore, after the UE receives the second indication information, the UE can determine that the second transmission beam is different from the first transmission beam according to the fifth information, or determine that the second transmission beam is applied after receiving the first indication information, or determine that the second transmission beam corresponds to the second network device.

[0211] Or, if the UE determines the second transmission beam according to the measurement result 4, the second indication information can include the information of the first transmission beam and not include the information of the second transmission beam.

[0212] S709, the first network device fails.

[0213] S710, the second network device determines that the first network device fails.

[0214] For more information about S710 in which the second network device determines that the first network device fails, refer to the introduction of S405 in the embodiment shown in Figure 4 The introduction of S405 in the embodiment shown in is not repeated here.

[0215] Or, S710 is an optional step, and the UE determines that the first network device fails, for example, the UE determines that the first network device fails if the UE detects that an RLF event occurs between the UE and the first network device, or the UE can also determine that the first network device fails in other manners.

[0216] S711, the second network device sends the first indication information to the UE, and correspondingly, the UE receives the first indication information from the second network device.

[0217] For example, Figure 7 The embodiments shown in the embodiments are applied in combination with Figure 4 The embodiments shown in the embodiments are applied in combination with Figure 7 The embodiments shown in the embodiments are applied in combination with Figure 4 The embodiments shown in the embodiments are applied in combination with Figure 7 The embodiments shown in the embodiments are applied in combination with Figure 4 The embodiments shown in the embodiments are not combined, then the second network device can send the first configuration information to the UE according to the protocol or according to the default rule, and the UE can receive the first indication information from the second network device according to the protocol or according to the default rule.

[0218] Alternatively, S709 and S710 are optional steps, that is, even if the first network device failure is not determined, the second network device can send the first indication information to the UE.

[0219] For more information about S711, please refer to Figure 4 The introduction of S406 in the embodiments shown.

[0220] S712, the UE sends response information corresponding to the first indication information to the second network device, and correspondingly, the second network device receives the response information from the UE.

[0221] In the case of not receiving the first indication information, the UE can enable the first sending beam, without enabling the second sending beam. The UE can activate the second sending beam, or in other words, can enable the second sending beam, after receiving the first indication information. The UE sends the response information to the second network device on the second sending beam, and correspondingly, the second network device receives the response information on the receiving beam corresponding to the second sending beam (for example, called the second receiving beam, the second receiving beam here refers to the receiving beam of the second network device). For the second network device, the second receiving beam can be determined according to the second measurement result.

[0222] S711 and S712 are optional steps. If the first network device failure is determined by the UE and switched to the second network device, in this case, S710, S711 and S712 can also not be executed.

[0223] In the embodiment of the present application, whether the other network device (the first network device) is faulty is determined by one network device (the second network device), which is easier to implement than determining whether the network device is faulty by the UE. The UE determines that the network device is faulty or needs to be switched through the indication of the network side, and can determine the time consumed for determining that the first network device is faulty, thereby reducing the interruption time of service transmission, improving the continuity of the service, and improving the reliability of the service. Moreover, the embodiment of the present application adds the process of uplink beam training, and the UE can transmit the response information according to the result of the uplink beam training when transmitting the response information to the second network device, for example, the UE transmits the response information in the direction in which the second network device successfully receives the uplink RS, thereby improving the success rate of the second network device for receiving the response information, and saving the power consumption of the second network device and the UE because the response information does not need to be transmitted on too many beams.

[0224] Figure 8 A structure diagram of a communication apparatus provided by the embodiment of the present application is given. The communication apparatus 800 can be the communication apparatus 30 in Figure 1 , can also be the terminal device in Figure 2A , Figure 2B , or Figure 2C , used to implement the method for the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The communication apparatus can also be the first network device or the second network device in Figure 2A , or Figure 2B , Figure 2C , the network device in the RAN, such as the CU, the DU, the CU-CP, or the CU-UP, used to implement the method corresponding to the first network device or the second network device in the above method embodiments. The specific functions can be referred to the description in the above method embodiments.

[0225] The communication apparatus 800 includes one or more processors 801. The processor 801 can also be referred to as a processing unit, and can implement certain control functions. The processor 801 can be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor, etc. For example, including: a baseband processor, a central processor, an application processor, a modem processor, a graphics processor, an image signal processor, a digital signal processor, a video coding and decoding processor, a controller, a memory, and / or a neural network processor, etc. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data. The central processor can be used to control the communication apparatus 800, execute software programs, and / or process data. Different processors can be independent devices or integrated in one or more processors, for example, integrated on one or more application-specific integrated circuits.

[0226] Optionally, the communication apparatus 800 includes one or more memories 802 storing instructions 804 executable by the processor 801, such that the communication apparatus 800 performs the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memories 802 can also store data. The processor and the memories can be provided separately, or integrated together.

[0227] Optionally, the communication apparatus 800 can include instructions 803 (sometimes also referred to as code or a program) executable by the processor 801, such that the communication apparatus 800 performs the methods described in the above embodiments. The processor 801 can store data.

[0228] Optionally, the communication apparatus 800 can further include a transceiver 805 and an antenna 806. The transceiver 805 can be referred to as a transceiving unit, a transceiver, a transceiving circuit, a transceiver, an input / output interface, etc., and is configured to realize the transceiving function of the communication apparatus 800 through the antenna 806.

[0229] Optionally, the communication apparatus 800 can further include one or more of the following components: a wireless communication module, an audio module, an external memory interface, an internal memory, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a power management module, an antenna, a speaker, a microphone, an input / output module, a sensor module, a motor, a camera, or a display screen, etc. It can be understood that, in some embodiments, the UE 800 can include more or less components, or some components can be integrated, or some components can be split. These components can be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0230] The processor 801 and the transceiver 805 described in the present application can be implemented on an integrated circuit (IC), an analog IC, a radio frequency identification (RFID), a mixed-signal IC, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a printed circuit board (PCB), or an electronic device. The communication apparatus described herein can be a standalone device (e.g., a standalone integrated circuit, a mobile phone, etc.), or can be part of a larger device (e.g., a module that can be embedded in other devices), and specific reference can be made to the foregoing description of terminal devices and network devices, which will not be repeated here.

[0231] This application provides a terminal device (referred to as UE for convenience) that can be used in the foregoing embodiments. The terminal device includes components for implementing... Figure 1 , Figure 2A , Figure 2B , Figure 2C , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 6 , and / or Figure 7 The embodiments shown include corresponding means, units, and / or circuits for the UE functions described. For example, a terminal device includes a transceiver module to support the terminal device in implementing transceiver functions, and a processing module to support the terminal device in processing signals.

[0232] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application is given.

[0233] This terminal device 900 is applicable to Figure 1 , Figure 2A , Figure 2B , Figure 2C The system shown is for illustrative purposes. Figure 9 Only the main components of terminal device 900 are shown. (For example...) Figure 9 As shown, the terminal device 900 includes a processor, memory, control circuitry, antenna, and input / output devices. The processor is primarily used to process communication protocols and data, control the entire terminal device 900, execute software programs, and process the data from those programs. The memory is mainly used to store software programs and data. The control circuitry is primarily used for converting baseband signals to radio frequency signals and processing radio frequency signals. The antenna is primarily used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as touchscreens, displays, microphones, and keyboards, are primarily used to receive user input data and output data to the user.

[0234] Taking terminal device 900 as an example (like a mobile phone), after terminal device 900 is powered on, the processor can read the software program in the storage unit, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the control circuit. The control circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal and transmits the radio frequency signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to terminal device 900, the control circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor. The processor converts the baseband signal back into data and processes the data.

[0235] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for ease of explanation, Figure 9Only one memory and one processor are shown. In some embodiments, the terminal device 900 can include multiple processors and memories. The memory can also be referred to as a storage medium or a storage device, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the same.

[0236] As an optional implementation, the processor can include a baseband processor and a central processor, the baseband processor is mainly used for processing communication protocols and communication data, and the central processor is mainly used for controlling the whole terminal device 900, executing software programs, and processing data of the software programs. Figure 9 The processor in the terminal device 900 integrates the functions of the baseband processor and the central processor, and those skilled in the art can understand that the baseband processor and the central processor can also be independent processors interconnected by a bus or the like. The terminal device 900 can include multiple baseband processors to adapt to different network modes, and the terminal device 900 can include multiple central processors to enhance its processing capability. Various components of the terminal device 900 can be connected through various buses. The baseband processor can also be referred to as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. The central processor can also be referred to as a central processing circuit or a central processing chip. The function of processing communication protocols and communication data can be built into the processor, or stored in the form of a software program in the storage unit, and the processor executes the software program to realize the baseband processing function.

[0237] In one example, the antenna and the control circuit with the transceiving function can be regarded as a transceiving unit 910 of the terminal device 900, and the processor with the processing function can be regarded as a processing unit 920 of the terminal device 900. As shown in Figure 9 The terminal device 900 includes a transceiving unit 910 and a processing unit 920. The transceiving unit can also be referred to as a transceiver, a transceiver, a transceiver device, etc. Optionally, the devices in the transceiving unit 910 for realizing the receiving function can be regarded as a receiving unit, and the devices in the transceiving unit 910 for realizing the sending function can be regarded as a sending unit, that is, the transceiving unit 910 includes a receiving unit and a sending unit. Exemplarily, the receiving unit can also be referred to as a receiver, a receiver, a receiving circuit, etc., and the sending unit can be referred to as a transmitter, a transmitter, or a transmitting circuit, etc.

[0238] The embodiments of the present application also provide a network device, which can be used in the foregoing various embodiments. The network device includes a processor, a memory, and a transceiver. Figure 2A , Figure 2B , Figure 2C , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 6 , and / or Figure 7The embodiments shown include the means, units, and / or circuits for the functions of the first or second network device. For example, the network device includes a transceiver module to support the terminal device in implementing transceiver functions, and a processing module to support the network device in processing signals. It is understood that the first and second network devices are relative to one or more UEs, and the functions of the first and second network devices may be interchangeable relative to other UEs.

[0239] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the structure of a network device provided in an embodiment of this application is given. Figure 10 As shown, network device 20 can be applied to Figure 1 , Figure 2A , Figure 2B , Figure 2C In the system shown, network device 20 is, for example, Figure 1 The access network device 20 is shown. Network device 20 can function as a first network device relative to one or more UEs, or it can function as a second network device relative to one or more UEs. This network device includes: a baseband device 201, a radio frequency (RF) device 202, and an antenna 203. In the uplink direction, the RF device 202 receives information transmitted by the terminal device through the antenna 203 and transmits the information to the baseband device 201 for processing. In the downlink direction, the baseband device 201 processes the information from the terminal device and transmits it to the RF device 202, which then processes the information and transmits it to the terminal device through the antenna 203.

[0240] The baseband device 201 includes one or more processing units 2011, a storage unit 2012, and an interface 2013. The processing unit 2011 supports the network device in performing the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The storage unit 2012 stores software programs and / or data. The interface 2013 interacts with the radio frequency device 202, and includes interface circuitry for information input and output. In one implementation, the processing unit is an integrated circuit, such as one or more ASICs, or one or more DSPs, or one or more FPGAs, or a combination of these integrated circuit types. These integrated circuits can be integrated together to form a chip. The storage unit 2012 and the processing unit 2011 can reside on the same chip, i.e., on-chip storage elements. Alternatively, the storage unit 2012 and the processing unit 2011 can be located on different chips, i.e., off-chip storage elements. The storage unit 2012 can be a single memory or a collective term for multiple memories or storage elements.

[0241] The network device can implement some or all steps in the above method embodiments in the form of one or more processing unit schedulers. For example, the network device can implement the corresponding functions in the above embodiments by implementing the corresponding functions in the form of one or more processing unit schedulers. The one or more processing units can support the same wireless access technology or different wireless access technologies. Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 6 , and / or Figure 7 The one or more processing units can support the same wireless access technology or different wireless access technologies.

[0242] Those skilled in the art can understand that the units and steps of the examples described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0243] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described device embodiments are only schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, the units illustrated as separate components can or can not be physically separate, and the components illustrated as units can or can not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiments.

[0244] If the functions are implemented in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application essentially or the parts that make contributions to the prior art or parts of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of software products. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned computer readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. For example, but not limited to: the computer readable medium can include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (programmable ROM, PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (erasable PROM, EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (electrically erasable programmable read only memory, EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (compact disc read-only memory, CD-ROM), universal serial bus flash disk, mobile hard disk, or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program codes in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer. In addition, by way of example but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (static RAM, SRAM), dynamic random access memory (dynamic RAM, DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (synchronous DRAM, SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (double data rate SDRAM, DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (enhanced SDRAM, ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (synchlink DRAM, SLDRAM) or direct memory bus random access memory (direct rambus RAM, DR RAM).

[0245] The above merely describes specific embodiments of the present application, but the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical range disclosed by the embodiments of the present application, which should be covered in the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: Comprising: The terminal device receives first indication information from the second network device, the first indication information being used to indicate that the first network device fails; The terminal device sends response information of the first indication information to the second network device, wherein the response information is a random access preamble sequence or a third message in a random access process; The first indication information further includes third configuration information, the third configuration information being used for the terminal device to communicate with the second network device, and the third configuration information includes information of random access resources and / or information of a second BWP; or, before the terminal device receives the first indication information from the second network device, the method further includes that the terminal device receives second configuration information from the first network device, the second configuration information being used for the terminal device to communicate with the second network device, and the second configuration information includes one or more of the following: information of random access resources, information of a second BWP, measurement configuration information, radio bearer configuration information, MAC layer configuration information, or physical layer configuration information; Wherein, the second BWP is a downlink BWP applied by the terminal device in a random access process.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The terminal device receives first indication information from the second network device, comprising: The terminal device receives the first indication information according to first configuration information from the first network device, and the first configuration information includes one or more of the following: information of a bandwidth part (BWP), information of a search space, or a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI).

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The information of the BWP is used to indicate a first BWP, and the first BWP is one or more downlink BWPs predetermined for transmitting the first indication information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, The terminal device receives first indication information from the second network device, comprising: The terminal device receives the first indication information on an initial downlink BWP of the terminal device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The initial downlink BWP is different from an activated downlink BWP of the terminal device, and the method further includes: The terminal device adjusts a radio frequency of a receiving antenna from a frequency of the activated downlink BWP to a frequency of the initial downlink BWP.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2, 4, 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device descrambles the first indication information using a common RNTI; or, The terminal device descrambles the first indication information using an RNTI included in first configuration information from the first network device.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4, 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device receives fourth configuration information from the first network device, the fourth configuration information including first sub-configuration information and second sub-configuration information, the first sub-configuration information being used to configure a downlink reference signal of the first network device, and the second sub-configuration information being used to configure a downlink reference signal of the second network device; The terminal device receives a downlink reference signal from the second network device according to the fourth configuration information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The terminal device receives first indication information from the second network device, comprising: The terminal device receives the first indication information on at least one receiving beam corresponding to the downlink reference signal of the second network device, the at least one receiving beam being all or part of the receiving beams on which the downlink reference signal of the second network device is received.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein, The method further comprises: The terminal device receives first state information from the first network device, the first state information comprising a number of downlink reference signals, the downlink reference signal indicated by the number being one or more of the downlink reference signals configured by the second sub-configuration information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The terminal device receives first indication information from the second network device, comprising: The terminal device receives the first indication information on the receiving beam corresponding to the number of downlink reference signals.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, characterized in that, The method further comprises: The terminal device receives second indication information from the first network device, the second indication information comprising information of a first transmitting beam and information of a second transmitting beam, the first transmitting beam being used for transmitting information to the first network device, and the second transmitting beam being used for transmitting information to the second network device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The terminal device transmits response information of the first indication information to the second network device, comprising: The terminal device transmits the response information to the second network device through the second transmitting beam.

13. A communication method characterized by comprising: Comprise: The second network device transmits first indication information to the terminal device, the first indication information being used for indicating failure of the first network device; The second network device receives response information of the first indication information from the terminal device, wherein the response information is a random access preamble sequence or a third message in a random access process; The first indication information further comprises third configuration information, the third configuration information being used for the terminal device to communicate with the second network device, and the third configuration information comprising information of random access resources and / or information of a second BWP; or, the method further comprises: the second network device transmits second configuration information to the terminal device, the second configuration information being used for the terminal device to communicate with the second network device, and the second configuration information comprising one or more of the following: information of random access resources, information of a second BWP, measurement configuration information, radio bearer configuration information, MAC layer configuration information, or physical layer configuration information; Wherein, the second BWP is a downlink BWP applied by the terminal device in a random access process.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The method further comprises: If the second network device does not receive heartbeat information from the first network device within a first time length, the second network device determines that the first network device fails; or, If the second network device receives measurement information from the terminal device, the second network device determines that the first network device fails according to the measurement information; or, If the second network device receives hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information from the terminal device, the HARQ-ACK information is used to indicate that data transmission with the first network device fails, and the second network device determines that the first network device fails according to the HARQ-ACK information.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The second network device sends first indication information to a terminal device, including: The second network device sends the first indication information to the terminal device according to first configuration information, and the first configuration information includes one or more of the following: information of a bandwidth part (BWP), information of a search space, or a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI).

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, The second network device sends the first indication information to the terminal device according to first configuration information, including: The second network device sends the first indication information to the terminal device on one or more downlink BWPs configured for the terminal device; or The second network device sends the first indication information to the terminal device on a first BWP, and the first BWP is one or more downlink BWPs predetermined for transmitting the first indication information.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein, The second network device sends first indication information to a terminal device, including: The second network device sends the first indication information to the terminal device on an initial downlink BWP of the terminal device.

18. The method of any one of claims 16-17, wherein, The method further includes: The second network device scrambles the first indication information using a common RNTI; or The second network device scrambles the first indication information using an RNTI included in the first configuration information.

19. The method according to any one of claims 13, 14, 16, 17, characterized in that, The method further includes: The second network device sends second sub-configuration information to the first network device, and the second sub-configuration information is used to configure downlink reference signals of the second network device; The second network device receives first measurement results from the terminal device, and the first measurement results are measurement results obtained by measuring the downlink reference signals of the second network device; The second network device determines second state information according to the first measurement results, and the second state information includes numbers of the downlink reference signals; and The second network device sends the second state information to the first network device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein, The second network device sends first indication information to a terminal device, including: The second network device sends the first indication information to the terminal device through a transmission beam corresponding to the number of the downlink reference signal.

21. The method of any one of claims 13, 14, 16, 20, wherein, The method further includes: The second network device receives fifth configuration information from the first network device, and the fifth configuration information is used to configure uplink reference signals; The second network device receives the uplink reference signals from the terminal device according to the fifth configuration information; The second network device measures the uplink reference signals to obtain second measurement results; The second network device sends the second measurement results to the first network device, and the second measurement results are used to determine a transmission beam for sending information to the second network device.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein, The second network device receives response information corresponding to the first indication information from the terminal device, including: The second network device receives the response information through a second receiving beam, which is determined according to the second measurement result.

23. A communications device, characterized by A computer readable storage medium for storing a computer program, which when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-12, or causes the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 13-22.

24. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, A computer readable storage medium for storing a computer program, which when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-12, or causes the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 13-22.

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