Method, device, and computer storage medium for communication

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method, an apparatus, and a computer-readable medium for communication. A method for communication includes: determining, at a terminal device, whether a first failure of a first access attempt to a first cell of a first network device occurs, where the first network device is a secondary node serving the terminal device, and a second network device is a primary node serving the terminal device; and sending, based on determining that the first failure occurs, at least first information about the first failure to the first network device or the second network device. In this way, reporting of SCG failure information can be enhanced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications, and in particular, to communication methods, devices, and computer storage media during the reporting of secondary cell group (SCG) failure information. Background Art

[0002] Generally, when an SCG failure is detected (e.g., radio link failure of the SCG, reconfiguration failure with synchronization of the SCG, SCG configuration failure, or integrity check failure indication from the lower layer of the SCG), the terminal device will report information about the SCG failure to the master cell group (MCG), including the failure type, measurement results, and the location of the terminal device.

[0003] Currently, for the primary cell of the SCG (also referred to as the PScell), conditional PScell change (CPC) and conditional PScell addition (CPA) have been proposed. CPC is a PScell change process that is executed only when the execution conditions are met, while CPA is a PScell addition process that is executed only when the execution conditions are met. On the other hand, it has been proposed to enhance the data collection of drive test minimization (MDT) and self-organizing network (SON) in new radio (NR). In this case, the above SCG failure reporting mechanism is not sufficient for reporting SCG failure information in cases such as CPC and CPA. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Generally, embodiments of the present disclosure provide communication methods, devices, and computer storage media during the reporting of SCG failure information.

[0005] In a first aspect, a method for communication is provided. The method includes: determining, at a terminal device, whether a first failure of a first access attempt to a first cell of a first network device occurs, where the first network device is a secondary node serving the terminal device, and a second network device is a master node serving the terminal device; and sending, based on determining that the first failure occurs, first information about the first failure to the first network device or the second network device.

[0006] In a second aspect, a method for communication is provided. The method includes: receiving, at a second network device and from a terminal device, first information about a first failure of a first access attempt to a first cell of a first network device, where the first network device is a secondary node serving the terminal device, and the second network device is a master node serving the terminal device.

[0007] In a third aspect, a method for communication is provided. The method includes: receiving, at a first network device and from a terminal device, first information about a first failure of a first access attempt to a first cell of the first network device, where the first network device is a secondary node serving the terminal device.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores instructions that, when run by the processor, cause the terminal device to perform the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores instructions that, when run by the processor, cause the network device to perform the method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores instructions that, when run by the processor, cause the network device to perform the method according to the third aspect of the present disclosure.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon is provided. The instructions, when run on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon is provided. The instructions, when run on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon is provided. The instructions, when run on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to the third aspect of the present disclosure.

[0014] Other features of the present disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Through a more detailed description of some embodiments of the present disclosure in the drawings, the above and other objects, features, and beneficial effects of the present disclosure will become more apparent, where:

[0016] Figure 1 An example communication scenario in which some embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown;

[0017] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a communication process during the reporting of SCG failure information according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0018] Figure 3 illustrates an example communication method implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 4 illustrates another example communication method implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 5 illustrates another example communication method implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 6 illustrates an example communication method implemented at a second network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 7 illustrates another example method of communication implemented at a first network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0023] Figure 8 is a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] In all the figures, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Description

[0025] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some embodiments. It should be understood that the description of these embodiments is for illustrative purposes only and helps those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without implying any limitation on the scope of the disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways different from those described below.

[0026] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0027] As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to any device having wireless or wired communication capabilities. Examples of terminal devices include, but are not limited to: user equipment (UE), personal computer, desktop computer, mobile phone, cellular phone, smart phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), portable computer, tablet computer, wearable device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, Internet of Everything (IoE) device, machine type communication (MTC) device, in-vehicle device for V2X communication (where X represents pedestrian, vehicle, or infrastructure / network), or an image capture device such as a digital camera, a gaming device, a music storage and playback device, or an Internet tool that allows wireless or wired Internet access and browsing. The term "terminal device" may be used interchangeably with UE, mobile station, subscriber station, mobile terminal, user terminal, or wireless device. Additionally, the term "network device" refers to a device capable of providing or hosting a cell or coverage with which a terminal device can communicate. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to: Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), next generation Node B (gNB), transmit receive point (TRP), remote radio unit (RRU), radio head (RH), remote radio head (RRH), low power nodes such as femto nodes, pico nodes, etc.

[0028] In one embodiment, a terminal device may be connected to a first network device and a second network device. One of the first network device and the second network device may be a master node, while the other may be a secondary node. The first network device and the second network device may use different radio access technologies (RATs). In one embodiment, the first network device may be a first RAT device and the second network device may be a second RAT device. In one embodiment, the first RAT device is an eNB and the second RAT device is a gNB. Information related to different RATs may be sent from at least one of the first network device and the second network device to the terminal device. In one embodiment, a first piece of information may be sent from the first network device to the terminal device, and a second piece of information may be sent from the second network device to the terminal device directly or via the first network device. In one embodiment, information related to the configuration of the terminal device configured by the second network device may be sent from the second network device via the first network device. Information related to the reconfiguration of the terminal device configured by the second network device may be sent from the second network device to the terminal device directly or via the first network device.

[0029] As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term "comprising" and its variants are to be construed as open-ended terms meaning "including but not limited to". The term "based on" is to be construed as "at least partially based on". The terms "one embodiment" and "embodiment" are to be construed as "at least one embodiment". The term "another embodiment" is to be construed as "at least one other embodiment". The terms "first", "second", etc. may refer to different or the same objects. Other explicit and implicit definitions may be included below.

[0030] In some examples, values, processes, or devices are referred to as "optimal", "lowest", "highest", "minimum", "maximum", etc. It should be understood that such descriptions are intended to indicate that a selection can be made among many alternative functions used, and such a selection is not necessarily better, smaller, higher, or more preferred than other selections.

[0031] As described above, there has been a need to enhance data collection for MDT and SON in NR. SON features include coverage and capacity optimization (CCO), inter-system radio access technology (RAT) energy savings, two-step random access channel (RACH) optimization, mobility enhancement optimization, physical cell identifier (PCI) selection, energy efficiency (operation, administration, and maintenance (OAM) requirements), successful handover reporting, and UE history information in EUTRA-NR dual connectivity (EN-DC). Therefore, it is necessary to specify reports from the terminal device to enhance network configuration.

[0032] Currently, when an SCG failure is detected, the terminal device reports information about the SCG failure to the MCG. This information only relates to the failure type, measurement results, and the location of the terminal device. This reporting mechanism is insufficient for future releases of the 3GPP system because more detailed failure information related to SCG addition and change, such as random access information, is not reported. In addition, consideration should also be given to how to control multiple CPA and CPC executions and store the failure information of multiple CPA and CPC executions.

[0033] In view of the above, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for reporting SCG failure information to solve the above and other problems. This solution can facilitate the enhancement of SCG failure information reporting. The principles and implementations of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing an example communication scenario 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown. As Figure 1As shown, the communication scenario 100 may include a terminal device 110, a first network device 120, and a second network device 130. The terminal device 110 may establish a dual connection (i.e., a simultaneous connection) with the first network device 120 and the second network device 130. In the context of this application, the first network device 120 serves as a secondary node (SN) for the terminal device 110, while the second network device 130 serves as a master node (MN) for the terminal device 110.

[0035] The first network device 120 may communicate with the terminal device 110 via a channel such as a wireless communication channel. Similarly, the second network device 130 may also communicate with the terminal device 110 via a channel such as a wireless communication channel. The first network device 120 may communicate with the second network device 130 via a control plane interface such as Xn-C or X2-C.

[0036] It should be understood that Figure 1 the number of devices in is given for illustrative purposes and does not imply any limitation to the present disclosure. The communication scenario 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and / or terminal devices suitable for implementing the implementation of the present disclosure.

[0037] The communication in the communication scenario 100 may conform to any suitable standard, including but not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Evolution, Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), Machine Type Communication (MTC), etc. In addition, the communication may be performed according to any generation of communication protocol known currently or to be developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include but are not limited to: First Generation (1G), Second Generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, Third Generation (3G), Fourth Generation (4G), 4.5G, Fifth Generation (5G) communication protocol, Sixth Generation (6G) communication protocol, or higher communication protocols.

[0038] As Figure 1 shown, the first network device 120 may have cells 121, 122, and 123 forming an SCG, and the second network device 130 may have cells 131, 132, and 133 forming an MCG. It should be noted that the number of cells in the SCG and the MCG is not limited to three, and more or fewer cells are also feasible. At least a portion of the cells in the SCG and at least a portion of the cells in the MCG may be configured for the terminal device 110. For convenience, it is assumed that the cells 121, 122, and 123 in the SCG and the cells 131, 132, and 133 in the MCG are configured for the terminal device 110. Cell 121 is the primary cell (also referred to as the PScell) of the SCG, and cell 131 is the primary cell (also referred to as the Pcell) of the MCG.

[0039] For CPA and CPC, the second network device 130 may provide CPA and CPC configurations to the terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the second network device 130 may configure one or more candidates for the PScell to the terminal device 110, and may also configure the conditions for accessing the terminal device 110. In the case of CPA, the candidates may be one or more cells of one network device or one or more cells of one or more network devices. In the case of CPC, the candidates may be any other cells in the SCG except the current PScell. For illustration purposes, assume that the second network device 130 configures cells 121, 122, and 123 as candidates for the PScell.

[0040] During operation, the terminal device 110 may determine which one of the cells 121, 122, and 123 meets the access condition, and then access the determined cell. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may establish a connection with the first network device 120 for the first time, which is referred to as CPA. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may switch from one cell of the first network device 120 to another cell for the first time, which is referred to as CPC. CPA or CPC may fail multiple times. In some embodiments, when the connection with a cell of the first network device 120 fails (also referred to as SCG failure), the terminal device 110 may trigger a CPA or CPC process.

[0041] According to an embodiment of the present application, information about one or more SCG failures may be reported to the second network device 130 or the first network device 120. This information may include at least information about the random access process associated with each failure. In this way, more detailed information about SCG failures can be reported to the network, and data collection can be enhanced. More details will be described with reference to Figure 2 Describe more details.

[0042] Figure 2 FIG. shows a schematic diagram of a communication process 200 during the reporting of SCG failure information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, process 200 will be described with reference to Figure 1 Describe process 200. Process 200 may include the terminal device 110, the first network device 120, and the second network device 130 as shown in Figure 1 FIG.

[0043] In this embodiment, the terminal device 110 is in dual connection with the first network device 120 and the second network device 130, and the current PS cell is cell 121. The second network device 130 configures cells 122 and 123 as candidates for the PS cell for the terminal device 110 and configures the access conditions. For illustration, assume that as the terminal device 110 moves, the connection between the terminal device 110 and cell 122 fails. In this case, the following PS cell change process will be initiated. Although the following process is described in the context of a PS cell change, it can also be applied to the case of PS cell addition.

[0044] As Figure 2 shown, the terminal device 110 may determine 201 whether a first failure of the connection with the first cell (e.g., cell 122) has occurred. In some embodiments, when the terminal device 110 and cell 122 are disconnected from each other due to a radio link failure, a reconfiguration failure with synchronization, etc., the terminal device 110 may determine that the first failure has occurred. For example, in a reconfiguration failure with synchronization, when the first cell meets the access conditions, the terminal device 110 performs a first access attempt to the first cell. When the first access attempt fails, the terminal device 110 may determine that the first failure has occurred.

[0045] If it is determined that the first failure has occurred, the terminal device 110 may send 203 at least information about the first failure (also referred to as the first information herein for convenience) to the second network device 130 as an SCG failure information report. It should be clear that the terminal device 110 may send information about all failures (in this example, the first information) as an SCG failure information report.

[0046] In some embodiments, the first information may include at least one of the following:

[0047] The type of the first failure;

[0048] The first measurement result of the first measurement configured by the first network device;

[0049] The second measurement result of the second measurement configured by the second network device;

[0050] The location of the terminal device;

[0051] The identifier of the failed cell (i.e., the first cell);

[0052] The identifier of the previous primary cell of the first network device;

[0053] The identifier assigned by the first network device to the terminal device;

[0054] The duration from the initiation of the connection to the previous primary cell to the first failure;

[0055] The duration since the first failure; and

[0056] Information on the random access procedure associated with the first failure.

[0057] In this way, more detailed SCG failure information, such as random access information, can be provided to help the network side identify the cause of the failure. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, such information can be generated for each candidate failure event.

[0058] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may send the first information via a radio resource control (RRC) message, such as an SCGFailureInformation / SCGFailureInformationNR (EN-DC, NG EN-DC) / SCGFailureInformationEUTRA (NE-DC) message. It should be noted that any other existing or future-developed RRC message may also be used, and the present application is not limited thereto.

[0059] For example, when receiving the first information, the second network device 130 may adjust the configuration of the first network device 120. In some embodiments, the second network device 130 may release the configuration of the first network device 120. In some alternative embodiments, the second network device 130 may modify the configuration of the first network device 120. In some alternative or additional embodiments, the second network device 130 may send the first information to the first network device 120. For example, using the first information, the first network device 120 may adjust its configuration for the PScell. It should be noted that the use of the first information by the first network device 120 and the second network device 130 is not limited to the examples listed above, and other uses are also feasible.

[0060] In some alternative embodiments, if the first failure occurs, the terminal device 110 may perform another access attempt to other candidates without sending an SCG failure information report to the second network device 130. In some alternative embodiments, the terminal device 110 may start a timer when the first failure occurs. In some embodiments, the value of the timer may be configured by the second network device 130 for the terminal device 110 together with the CPA and CPC configurations. It should be noted that the value of the timer may also be provided in any other appropriate manner.

[0061] With the setting of the timer, the terminal device 110 can be allowed to continue evaluating other candidate PScells for a certain duration after the CPA and CPC failures. In this way, the conditions for another attempt of CPA and CPC execution can be relaxed.

[0062] When the first failure occurs and the timer is running, the terminal device 110 may determine 206 whether other candidates (also referred to herein as the second cell, such as cell 123) meet the access conditions. If cell 123 meets the access conditions, the terminal device 110 may perform 207 an access attempt to cell 123 (also referred to herein as the second access attempt for convenience). In some embodiments, another timer may be started at the beginning of each access attempt to a cell. In this way, the random access process can be controlled. If the second access attempt is successful, the terminal device 110 may switch from cell 121 to cell 123. In addition, the terminal device 110 may send 208 the first information about the first failure as an SCG failure information report.

[0063] If the second access attempt fails (also referred to as the second failure for convenience) and the timer expires, the terminal device 110 may send the first information and the second information about the second failure to the second network device 130. In other words, the terminal device 110 may send the information about all failures (in this example, the first information and the second information) as an SCG failure information report. The second information may be generated in a manner similar to the first information for the second failure. For example, the second information may include at least one of the following:

[0064] The type of the second failure;

[0065] The first measurement result of the first measurement configured by the first network device;

[0066] The second measurement result of the second measurement configured by the second network device;

[0067] The location of the terminal device;

[0068] The identifier of the failed cell (i.e., the second cell);

[0069] The identifier of the previous primary cell of the first network device;

[0070] The identifier assigned by the first network device to the terminal device;

[0071] The duration from the start of the connection to the previous primary cell to the second failure;

[0072] The duration since the second failure; and

[0073] The information of the random access process associated with the second failure.

[0074] If a second failure occurs and the timer is running, the terminal device 110 may repeat the steps described in 206 - 208 to continue evaluating other candidates. If there is no second cell that meets the access condition, the terminal device 110 may report the SCG failure information.

[0075] In some alternative embodiments, when a first failure occurs, determine whether a second cell meets the access condition;

[0076] If it is determined that the second cell meets the access condition, perform a second access attempt on the second cell;

[0077] According to the second failure of the second access attempt and determining that access attempts have been performed on all candidate cells of the first network device, send at least the first information and second information about the second failure to the second network device; and

[0078] If the second access attempt is successful, send at least the first information to the first network device or the second network device.

[0079] For the PScell change or addition process, one or more failures of one or more candidate PScells may be reported. In this case, the terminal device 110 may store 209 the SCG failure information (such as the first information, the second information, etc.) about the one or more failures in a storage device. The storage device may be in any suitable form. In some embodiments, each time a failure occurs, the terminal device may store all information about the failure. In some embodiments, each time a failure occurs, the terminal device may store a part of the information about the failure. The content of this information is similar to the content of the first information or the second information, so its details are omitted here.

[0080] In some embodiments where the SCG failure information is stored, the terminal device 110 may send 210 an indication of the availability of the SCG failure information to the second network device 130. In this way, the network side may request the SCG failure information when necessary.

[0081] In some embodiments, the second network device 130 may send 211 an indication to the first network device 120. Based on this indication, if necessary, the first network device 120 may send 212 a request for obtaining the SCG failure information. The second network device 130 may send 213 a request for obtaining the SCG failure information to the terminal device 110. The terminal device 110 may send 214 the SCG failure information to the second network device 130 as a response to this request. Therefore, the second network device 130 may send 215 the SCG failure information to the first network device 120.

[0082] For example, when the CPA / CPC finally fails, the terminal device 110 may send SCG failure information via an RRC message (also referred to as the first message for convenience). For example, the first message may be an SCGFailureInformation message. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may send an SCGfailureinformation message with an availability indication of the SCG failure information to the second network device 130. The second network device 130 may send this indication to the first network device 120. If necessary, the first network device 120 may feedback a request for the SCG failure information to the second network device 130. The second network device 130 may request the SCG failure information by sending a UEInformationRequest message with an SCGfaililureInfoRequest indication. The terminal device 110 may respond to the second network device 130 with a UEInfomationResponse message composed of SCG failure information corresponding to one or more SCG failures. Then, the second network device 130 may send the SCG failure information to the first network device 120.

[0083] As another example, when the CPA or CPC process finally succeeds after one or more failures, the terminal device 110 may send SCG failure information via an RRC message (also referred to as the second message for convenience). In some embodiments, the second message and the first message may be the same message. In some embodiments, the second message may be different from the first message. For example, the second message may be a ULInformationTransferMRDC message. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may send a ULInformationTransferMRDC message with an availability indication of the SCG failure information to the second network device 130. The second network device 130 may send this indication to the first network device 120. If necessary, the first network device 120 may feedback a request for the SCG failure information to the second network device 130. The second network device 130 may request the SCG failure information by sending a UEInformationRequest message with an SCGfaililureInfoRequest indication. The terminal device 110 may respond to the second network device 130 with a UEInfomationResponse message composed of SCG failure information corresponding to one or more SCG failures. Then, the second network device 130 may send the SCG failure information to the first network device 120. It should be noted that the above messages are merely examples, and the present disclosure does not impose any restrictions on the message form.

[0084] In some alternative embodiments, the terminal device 110 may send an indication 216 to the first network device 120. Based on this indication, the first network device 120 may send a request 217 for obtaining SCG failure information to the terminal device 110. In response to this request, the terminal device 110 may send the SCG failure information to the first network device via the signaling radio bearer 3 (SRB3) 218.

[0085] For example, when the CPA or CPC process finally succeeds after one or more failures, the terminal device 110 may send the SCG failure information to the first network device 120 via SRB3 in an RRC message (also called the third message for convenience). For example, the RRC message may be an RRCReconfigurationComplete message.

[0086] As another example, the terminal device 110 may send an RRCReconfigurationComplete message including an availability indication of the SCG failure information to the first network device 120 via SRB3. The first network device 120 may request the SCG failure information from the terminal device 110 via SRB3 in a UEInformationRequest message with an SCGfilureInfoRequest indication (this message currently only supports SRB1 and should be enhanced to support SRB3), and the terminal device 110 may send a UEInformationResponse message composed of the SCG failure information via SRB3 to the first network device 120 (this message currently only supports SRB1 and should be enhanced to support SRB3). It should be noted that the above messages are only examples, and the present disclosure does not impose any restrictions on the message form.

[0087] When an SCG failure occurs, the first network device 120 and the second network device 130 may not immediately obtain the SCG failure information. In this case, the SCG failure information should be managed. In some embodiments where the availability indication of the SCG failure information is sent to the second network device 130, if the terminal device 110 is connected to a third network device through one of the RRC reconstruction process, the RRC recovery process, and the handover process, the terminal device 110 may send this indication to the third network device. In some embodiments, the third network device may be the second network device 130. In some embodiments, the third network device may be a network device different from the second network device 130.

[0088] The terminal device 110 may send the SCG failure information to the third network device in response to receiving a request for obtaining the SCG failure information. When sending the SCG failure information to the third network device, the terminal device 110 may delete the SCG failure information.

[0089] In some alternative embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine a first duration for which the SCG failure information has been stored. If the first duration exceeds a threshold duration, the terminal device 110 may delete the first information from the storage device.

[0090] In some embodiments in which a failure (e.g., a first failure) occurs, the terminal device 110 may determine whether the capacity of the storage device including the first information is lower than a predetermined capacity. If the capacity of the storage device is lower than the predetermined capacity, the terminal device 110 may store the first information. If the capacity of the storage device is equal to or higher than the predetermined capacity, the terminal device 110 may delete the third information in the storage device to store the first information, where the third information was stored earlier than the first information by a second duration. For example, if the capacity of the storage device is equal to or higher than the predetermined capacity, the terminal device 110 may delete the oldest SCG failure information to store the latest SCG failure information. Alternatively, the terminal device 110 may stop storing the latest information.

[0091] It should be noted that Figure 2 the actions shown are not always necessary for implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure and may be modified to more or fewer actions as needed. Corresponding to Figure 2 the processes described in, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide communication methods implemented at a terminal device, at a first network device acting as an SN, and at a second network device acting as an MN. These methods will be described below with reference to Figures 3 to 8 description.

[0092] Figure 3 FIG. 300 shows an example communication method implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, method 300 may be executed at a terminal device 110 as shown in Figure 1 For the purpose of discussion, hereinafter, method 300 will be described with reference to Figure 1 It should be understood that method 300 may include additional blocks not shown and / or some of the blocks shown may be omitted, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0093] As Figure 3 shown, at block 310, the terminal device 110 determines whether a first failure of the connection to a first cell (e.g., Figure 1 the cell 122 in) occurs. In some embodiments, when the terminal device 110 and the cell 122 are disconnected from each other due to a radio link failure, a reconfiguration failure with synchronization, etc., the terminal device 110 may determine that the first failure has occurred. In some embodiments, when the terminal device 110 performs a first access attempt to the first cell when the first cell meets the access conditions, but the first access attempt fails, the terminal device 110 may determine that the first failure has occurred.

[0094] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may attempt to access the first cell by performing a random access procedure. For example, the random access procedure may be a two-step random access channel (RACH) procedure. Of course, a four-step RACH procedure is also feasible. As another example, the random access procedure may be a contention-based random access procedure. Alternatively, the random access procedure may be a non-contention-based random access procedure. The present disclosure does not impose any restrictions on the random access procedure.

[0095] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may receive CPA and CPC configurations from the second network device 130 in advance. The CPA and CPC configurations may include candidates and access conditions of the PS cell. The present disclosure does not impose any restrictions on the candidates and access conditions of the PS cell.

[0096] When it is determined at block 310 that a first failure occurs, at block 320, the terminal device 110 sends first information about at least the first failure to the first network device 120 or the second network device 130. In some embodiments where one or more failures occur before the first failure in the SCG change or addition procedure, the terminal device 110 may send the first information and additional information about the one or more failures.

[0097] In some embodiments, the first information may include at least one of the following:

[0098] The type of the first failure;

[0099] The first measurement result of the first measurement configured by the first network device;

[0100] The second measurement result of the second measurement configured by the second network device;

[0101] The location of the terminal device;

[0102] The identifier of the failed cell (i.e., the first cell);

[0103] The identifier of the previous primary cell of the first network device;

[0104] The identifier assigned by the first network device to the terminal device;

[0105] The duration from the start of the connection to the previous primary cell to the first failure;

[0106] The duration since the first failure; and

[0107] The information of the random access procedure associated with the first failure.

[0108] In this way, more detailed SCG failure information (such as random access information) can be provided to help the network side identify the cause of the SCG failure. According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, such information can be generated for each candidate failure event.

[0109] In some embodiments, when the first failure occurs, the terminal device 110 can continue to evaluate whether it can access other candidates. This will be described in detail in conjunction with Figure 4 it.

[0110] Figure 4 Another example communication method 400 implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example, method 400 can be executed at the terminal device 110 as shown in Figure 1 For the purpose of discussion, hereinafter, method 400 will be described with reference to Figure 1 It should be understood that method 400 may include additional blocks not shown and / or some of the shown blocks may be omitted, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0111] As Figure 4 shown, at block 401, the terminal device 110 can start a timer when the first failure occurs. In some embodiments, the value of the timer can be configured for the terminal device 110 by the second network device 130 together with the CPA and CPC configurations. Of course, the value of the timer can also be determined in any other suitable way. By setting the timer, the terminal device 110 can be controlled to continue evaluating other candidates.

[0112] At block 403, the terminal device 110 can determine whether the timer is running. If it is determined at block 403 that the timer is running, the process can proceed to block 404 to determine whether it is possible to access the second cell.

[0113] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 can determine whether the second cell (e.g., Figure 1 cell 123 in

[0114] At block 406, the terminal device 110 may determine whether the second access attempt is successful. If it is determined at block 407 that the second access attempt is successful, the terminal device 110 may send at least first information regarding the first failure to the first network device 120 or the second network device 130.

[0115] If it is determined at block 403 that the timer expires, the process proceeds to block 407. In some embodiments where one or more failures occur after the first failure of the CPA or CPC process, at block 407, the terminal device may send the first information regarding the first failure and additional information regarding the one or more failures.

[0116] If it is determined at block 404 that the second cell does not meet the access conditions, the process may proceed to block 403 and repeat the operation of evaluating another candidate. If it is determined at block 406 that the second access attempt fails, the process may return to block 403 and repeat the operation of evaluating another candidate.

[0117] The following Figure 5 describes the transmission of failure information. Figure 5 Another exemplary communication method 500 implemented at a terminal device is shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, method 500 may be executed at the terminal device 110 as Figure 1 shown. For the purpose of discussion, hereinafter, method 500 will be described with reference to Figure 1 It should be understood that method 500 may include additional blocks not shown and / or some of the shown blocks may be omitted, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0118] As Figure 5 shown, at block 510, the terminal device 110 may store at least first information regarding the first failure. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may store the first information and additional information (if any) regarding one or more failures that occur after the first failure of the CPA or CPC process in a storage device.

[0119] At block 520, the terminal device 110 may send an indication of the availability of at least the first information to the first network device 120 or the second network device 130. In this way, the terminal device 110 may notify the network side that SCG failure information is available from the terminal device 110.

[0120] At block 530, the terminal device 110 may receive a request to obtain at least the first information from one of the first network device 120 and the second network device 130. At block 540, the terminal device 110 may send at least the first information to one of the first network device 120 and the second network device 130. In this way, the network side may obtain the SCG failure information when necessary.

[0121] In some embodiments where an indication of the availability of SCG failure information is sent to a second network device 130, if the terminal device 110 is connected to a third network device through one of an RRC reestablishment procedure, an RRC resume procedure, and a handover procedure, the terminal device 110 may send the indication to the third network device. In some embodiments, the third network device may be the second network device 130. In some embodiments, the third network device may be a network device different from the second network device 130. In these embodiments, the terminal device 110 may send the SCG failure information to the third network device in response to receiving a request for obtaining the SCG failure information. After sending the SCG failure information to the third network device, the terminal device 110 may delete the SCG failure information. In this way, the SCG failure information can be managed.

[0122] In some alternative embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine a first duration for which the SCG failure information has been stored. If the first duration exceeds a threshold duration, the terminal device 110 may delete the first information from the storage device. In this way, the SCG failure information can also be managed.

[0123] In some embodiments where a failure (e.g., a first failure) occurs, the terminal device 110 may determine whether the capacity of a storage device including first information about the first failure is lower than a predetermined capacity. If the capacity of the storage device is lower than the predetermined capacity, the terminal device 110 may store the first information. If the capacity of the storage device is equal to or higher than the predetermined capacity, the terminal device 110 may delete third information stored in the storage device earlier than the first information by a second duration to store the first information. For example, if the capacity of the storage device is equal to or higher than the predetermined capacity, the terminal device 110 may delete the oldest SCG failure information to store the latest SCG failure information. Alternatively, the terminal device 110 may stop storing the latest information.

[0124] So far, the communication method implemented at the terminal device has been described. Figures 3 to 5 The implementation of the method described Figure 2 basically corresponds to the process described in conjunction with Figures 6 to 7 and thus other details are not repeated here. By using the method 300 - 500 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the reporting of SCG failure information in the cases of CPA and CPC can be enhanced. Correspondingly, the embodiments of the present application also provide a communication method implemented at a network device (SN and MN). This will be described below with reference to

[0125] Figure 6 FIG. shows an example communication method 600 implemented at a second network device (i.e., MN) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the method 600 may be implemented in a device such as Figure 1performed at the second network device 130 shown. For the purpose of discussion, hereinafter, method 600 will be described with reference to the second network device 130 in Figure 1 It should be understood that method 600 may include additional boxes not shown and / or some of the boxes shown may be omitted, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0126] As Figure 6 shown, at block 610, the second network device 130 receives from the terminal device 110 at least first information regarding a first failure of a first access attempt to a first cell of the first network device 120. In some embodiments, the second network device 130 may receive the first information and additional information (if any) regarding one or more failures that occurred prior to the first failure in the CPA or CPC procedure. In some embodiments, the second network device 130 may send a request to the terminal device 110 to obtain at least the first information and receive at least the first information from the terminal device 110.

[0127] In some embodiments, the second network device 130 may send at least the first information to the first network device 120. In some embodiments, the second network device 130 may send the first information and additional information (if any) to the first network device 120.

[0128] In some embodiments, the second network device 130 may receive an indication of the availability of at least the first information. In some additional embodiments, the second network device 130 may send an indication to the first network device 120 and receive a request to obtain at least the first information from the first network device 120. Then, the second network device 130 may send a request to the terminal device 110 and receive at least the first information from the terminal device 110. As a result, the second network device 130 may send at least the first information to the first network device 120.

[0129] In some embodiments, the first information may include at least one of the following:

[0130] the type of the first failure;

[0131] the first measurement result of a first measurement configured by the first network device;

[0132] the second measurement result of a second measurement configured by the second network device;

[0133] the location of the terminal device;

[0134] the identity of the failed cell (i.e., the first cell);

[0135] the identity of the previous primary cell of the first network device;

[0136] An identifier assigned by the first network device to the terminal device;

[0137] The duration from the start of the connection to the previous primary cell to the first failure;

[0138] The duration since the first failure; and

[0139] Information about the random access procedure associated with the first failure.

[0140] Figure 7 Illustrates an example communication method 700 implemented at a first network device (i.e., SN) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, method 700 may be executed at the first network device 120 as shown in Figure 1 . For the purpose of discussion, hereinafter, method 700 will be described with reference to the first network device 120 in Figure 1 . It should be understood that method 700 may include additional blocks not shown and / or some of the shown blocks may be omitted, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0141] As Figure 7 shown, at block 710, the first network device 120 receives from the terminal device 110 at least first information about a first failure of a first access attempt to a first cell of the first network device 120. In some embodiments, the first network device 120 may receive the first information and additional information (if any) about one or more failures that occurred before the first failure in the CPA or CPC procedure. In some embodiments, the first network device 120 may receive from the terminal device 110 an indication of the availability of at least the first information. In some embodiments, the first network device 120 may send to the terminal device 110 a request for obtaining at least the first information, and receive at least the first information from the terminal device 110.

[0142] In some alternative embodiments, the first network device 120 may receive from the second network device 130 an indication of the availability of at least the first information. In some additional embodiments, the first network device 120 may send to the second network device 130 a request for obtaining at least the first information, and receive at least the first information from the second network device 130.

[0143] In some embodiments, the first information may include at least one of the following:

[0144] The type of the first failure;

[0145] The first measurement result of a first measurement configured by the first network device;

[0146] The second measurement result of the second measurement configured by the second network device;

[0147] The location of the terminal device;

[0148] The identifier of the failed cell (i.e., the first cell);

[0149] The identifier of the previous primary cell of the first network device;

[0150] The identifier assigned by the first network device to the terminal device;

[0151] The duration from the start of the connection to the previous primary cell to the first failure;

[0152] The duration since the first failure; and

[0153] Information on the random access procedure associated with the first failure.

[0154] Figure 8 is a simplified block diagram of a device 800 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 800 may be considered as another exemplary implementation of the terminal device 110 or the first network device 120 or the second network device 130 as shown. Thus, the device 800 may be implemented at the terminal device 110 or the first network device 120 or the second network device 130, or implemented as at least a part of the terminal device 110 or the first network device 120 or the second network device 130. Figure 1 As shown in the figure, the device 800 includes a processor 810, a memory 820 coupled to the processor 810, a suitable transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) 840 coupled to the processor 810, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 840. The memory 810 stores at least a part of the program 830. The TX / RX 840 is used for two-way communication. The TX / RX 840 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, but in fact, the access nodes mentioned in this application may have several antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface required for communicating with other network elements, such as the X2 interface for two-way communication between eNBs, the S1 interface for communication between the mobility management entity (MME) / serving gateway (S-GW) and the eNB, the Un interface for communication between the eNB and the relay node (RN), or the Uu interface for communication between the eNB and the terminal device.

[0155]

[0156] Figures 1 to 7 Assume that the program 830 includes program instructions that, when executed by the associated processor 810, cause the device 800 to be operable according to embodiments of the present disclosure, as referred to herein Figures 1 to 7As discussed. The embodiments herein can be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 810 of the device 800, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 810 can be configured to implement various embodiments of the present invention. In addition, the combination of the processor 810 and the memory 820 can form a processing component 850 suitable for implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0157] The memory 820 can be of any type suitable for a local technical network and can be implemented using any suitable data storage technology. By way of non-limiting example, such as a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory. Although only one memory 820 is shown in the device 800, there can be several physically distinct memory modules in the device 800. By way of non-limiting example, the processor 810 can be of any type suitable for a local technical network and can include one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. The device 800 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are subordinate in time to a clock that synchronizes with a main processor.

[0158] Generally, the various embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented in hardware or a dedicated circuit, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented in hardware, while other aspects can be implemented in firmware or software, which can be executed by a controller, a microprocessor, or other computing devices. Although aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it will be understood that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented in, by way of non-limiting example, hardware, software, firmware, a dedicated circuit or logic, general-purpose hardware or a controller, or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0159] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, that are executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the processes or methods described above with reference to Figures 1 to 7 those described. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. The functions of the program modules can be combined or separated as needed in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions of the program modules can be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, the program modules can be located in both local storage media and remote storage media.

[0160] The program code for performing the methods of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, such that when the program codes are executed by the processor or controller, the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams are implemented. The program codes can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0161] The above program codes can be included on a machine-readable medium, which can be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program used by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable medium can be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. The machine-readable medium can include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the machine-readable storage medium will include: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0162] Furthermore, although the operations are described in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring that the operations be performed in the specific order shown or in sequential order, or that all of the illustrated operations be performed, to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these details should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments. Certain features described in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented separately or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0163] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or method acts, it should be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the above specific features and acts are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A terminal device, comprising: a processor configured to cause the terminal device to: perform at least one of conditional primary-secondary cell group (SCG) cell primary-secondary cell (PSCell) addition (CPA) and conditional PSCell change (CPC); detect a failure in at least one of the CPA and the CPC; and send to a master node an SCG failure information message regarding the failure in at least one of the CPA and the CPC, wherein the SCG failure information message includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the failed PSCell; an identifier of a previous PSCell; a duration from the initiation of the connection of the PSCell until the failure; and first information of a random access procedure associated with the failure, wherein the first information is different from second information indicating a failure type, wherein the SCG failure information message is sent from the master node to a candidate secondary node or a target secondary node for at least one of the CPA and the CPC.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the type of the failure is a failure with synchronous reconfiguration.

3. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the type of the failure is related to an access attempt.

4. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the SCG failure information message includes the first information and the second information.

5. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein conditions and candidate cells for at least one of the CPA and the CPC are determined by the master node.

6. A method of communication performed by a terminal device, the method comprising: performing at least one of conditional SCG cell PSCell addition (CPA) and conditional PSCell change (CPC); detecting a failure in at least one of the CPA and the CPC; and sending to a master node an SCG failure information message regarding the failure in at least one of the CPA and the CPC, wherein the SCG failure information message includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the failed PSCell; an identifier of a previous PSCell; a duration from the initiation of the connection of the PSCell until the failure; and first information of a random access procedure associated with the failure, wherein the first information is different from second information indicating a failure type, wherein the SCG failure information message is sent from the master node to a candidate secondary node or a target secondary node for at least one of the CPA and the CPC.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the type of the failure is a failure with synchronous reconfiguration.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the type of the failure is related to an access attempt.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6-8, wherein the SCG failure information message includes the first information and the second information.

10. The method according to any one of claims 6 - 8, wherein the conditions and candidate cells for at least one of the CPA and the CPC are determined by the master node.

11. A method for communication performed by a master node, the method comprising: receiving, from a terminal device, an SCG failure information message regarding a failure in at least one of a conditional primary-secondary cell group (SCG) cell primary cell (PSCell) addition (CPA) and a conditional PSCell change (CPC), wherein the SCG failure information message includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the failed PSCell; an identifier of the previous PSCell; a duration from the initiation of the connection to the failed PSCell until the failure; and first information of a random access procedure associated with the failure, wherein the first information is different from second information indicating the type of failure; and sending the SCG failure information message to a candidate secondary node or a target secondary node for at least one of the CPA and the CPC.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the type of the failure is a failure with synchronized reconfiguration.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the type of the failure is related to an access attempt.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 - 13, wherein the SCG failure information message includes the first information and the second information.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 - 13, further comprising: determining conditions and candidate cells for at least one of the CPA and the CPC.

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