A communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The application relates to a communication method and device. The method is applied to a handover scene under a dual-connection communication architecture, and comprises the following steps: a terminal device first establishes a transmission path with a secondary base station of a target base station, and then releases a transmission path between the terminal device and a secondary base station of a source base station in the process of switching from the source base station to the target base station, so that the communication is not interrupted in the process of switching, and the communication quality and the communication efficiency of the terminal device in the process of switching are improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

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

[0002] Due to the limited bandwidth resources and coverage range of a single base station, it is more likely to meet the capacity requirement and coverage requirement of users by centralizing the wireless resources of multiple cells or base stations to provide services for users, so the communication system introduces a multi-connection communication mode, and the commonly used multi-connection mode is dual connectivity. In the dual connectivity (DC) communication architecture, a terminal device communicates with two base stations at the same time, and the base station configures a master cell group (MCG) and a secondary cell group (SCG) for the terminal device, wherein the MCG is a cell group of a master base station, and the master base station is generally an anchor base station as a control plane, and the SCG is a cell group of a secondary base station.

[0003] If the terminal device working in the dual connectivity state switches, the terminal device releases a source secondary base station and disconnects the connection with a source master base station in the switching process, initiates random access to a target base station after receiving a switching command, and finally accesses the target base station to communicate. The communication between the terminal device and the base station will be interrupted in the switching process, which reduces the communication quality. Therefore, how to improve the communication quality of the terminal device working in the dual connectivity state in the switching process becomes a technical problem to be solved. SUMMARY

[0004] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and device for improving the communication quality of a terminal device in a switching process.

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which includes: switching, by a terminal device, from a source base station to a target base station, the source base station and the target base station having the same or different secondary base stations, the terminal device communicating with the secondary base station through a first radio bearer using a first configuration, the terminal device receiving second configuration information from a network side, performing second configuration on the first radio bearer according to the second configuration information, retaining the first configuration, and the terminal device communicating with the secondary base station through the first radio bearer using the second configuration. In this scheme, the terminal device establishes a transmission path with a target secondary base station first and then releases a transmission path with a source secondary base station in the switching process, so as to realize uninterrupted connection in the switching process and improve the communication quality.

[0006] The method can be performed by a first communication device, which can be a communication apparatus or a communication device capable of supporting the functions required by the communication apparatus to implement the method, such as a chip. For example, the first communication device is a terminal device, or a chip arranged in the terminal device to implement the functions of the terminal device, or other components to implement the functions of the terminal device. In the following introduction, the first communication device is taken as an example of a terminal device.

[0007] In an optional implementation, after the terminal device communicates with the secondary base station through the first radio bearer using the second configuration, the terminal device releases the first configuration, that is, the terminal device releases the transmission path between the terminal device and the source secondary base station after establishing the transmission path with the target secondary base station, so as to improve the communication quality during the handover process.

[0008] In an optional implementation, the second configuration information includes at least one of a radio link control (RLC) layer configuration, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer configuration, and a security configuration.

[0009] In an optional implementation, the second configuration information is carried in a signaling radio bearer (SRB3) from the secondary base station, or the second configuration information is carried in a handover command from the source base station. By carrying the second configuration information in an existing message, the configuration efficiency of the communication system can be improved.

[0010] In an optional implementation, the terminal device sends second indication information to the secondary base station, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the second configuration has been completed.

[0011] In an optional implementation, the terminal device receives third indication information from the secondary base station or from the target base station, where the third indication information is used to indicate to release the first configuration.

[0012] The first configuration includes a first PDCP entity and a first RLC entity, and the first PDCP entity, the first RLC entity and a first security configuration are associated with each other. For the second configuration, in an optional implementation, the second configuration of the first radio bearer according to the second configuration information includes reconfiguring the first PDCP entity, establishing a second RLC entity and performing a second security configuration according to the second configuration information, and the first PDCP entity, the second RLC entity and the second security configuration are associated with each other. In another possible implementation, the second configuration of the first radio bearer according to the second configuration information includes establishing a second PDCP entity, establishing a second RLC entity and performing a second security configuration according to the second configuration information, and the second PDCP entity, the second RLC entity and the second security configuration are associated with each other. In still another possible implementation, the second configuration of the first radio bearer according to the second configuration information includes reconfiguring the first PDCP entity, reconfiguring the first RLC entity and performing a second security configuration according to the second configuration information, and the first PDCP entity, the first RLC entity and the second security configuration are associated with each other. That is, the terminal device can establish a second transmission path according to the second configuration information, for communication with the target secondary base station, wherein the second transmission path is associated with the second security configuration, and the first transmission path through which the terminal device communicates with the source secondary base station is associated with the first security configuration, and the security configuration can enable the security of communication in the handover process.

[0013] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, including: a secondary base station communicating with a terminal device through a first radio bearer, the terminal device being handed over from a source base station to a target base station, the source base station and the target base station having a common secondary base station, the secondary base station receiving secondary base station indication information, the secondary base station indication information being used to indicate that the secondary base station is a secondary base station of the target base station, and the secondary base station sending second configuration information to the terminal device, the second configuration information being used to second configure the first radio bearer.

[0014] The method can be performed by a second communication apparatus, which can be a communication device or a communication apparatus, such as a chip, capable of supporting functions required by the communication device to implement the method. For example, the second communication apparatus is a network device, or a chip or other component provided in the network device and used to implement functions of the network device. In the following description, the second communication apparatus is taken as an example of a secondary base station.

[0015] In the process of switching the terminal device from the source base station to the target base station, if the secondary base station of the terminal device before switching is the same as the secondary base station of the terminal device after switching, the secondary base station can release the old transmission path after establishing a new transmission path, so as to improve the communication quality of the terminal device in the process of switching. If the secondary base station of the terminal device before switching is not the same as the secondary base station of the terminal device after switching, the source secondary base station can release the old transmission path after the terminal device establishes a new transmission path with the target secondary base station, so as to improve the communication quality of the terminal device in the process of switching.

[0016] In a possible implementation, before receiving the secondary base station indication information, the secondary base station communicates with the terminal device using the first configuration.

[0017] In a possible implementation, before receiving the secondary base station indication information, the secondary base station receives first indication information from the target base station, the first indication information being used to indicate that the first configuration is reserved, and the first indication information can be included in the second configuration information or carried in the same message as the second configuration information.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the secondary base station receives security configuration from the target base station.

[0019] In a possible implementation, the second configuration information includes at least one of radio link control (RLC) layer configuration, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer configuration, and security configuration.

[0020] In a possible implementation, the second configuration information includes the first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the first configuration is reserved.

[0021] In a possible implementation, the second configuration information is carried in signaling radio bearer (SRB) 3 from the secondary base station, or the second configuration information is carried in a handover command from the source base station.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the secondary base station receives second indication information from the terminal device, and the second indication information is used to indicate that the second configuration has been completed.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the secondary base station sends third indication information to the terminal device, and the third indication information is used to indicate that the first configuration is released.

[0024] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a source base station. The method comprises: a terminal device switching from the source base station to a target base station, the source base station and the target base station having a common secondary base station; the source base station sending first indication information to the target base station, the first indication information being used to indicate that the first configuration is to be reserved during the switching process; the source base station sending a switching request message to the target base station; and the source base station receiving a switching completion message from the target base station. By sending the first indication information to the target base station, it can be indicated that the first configuration (first transmission path) with the source secondary base station is to be reserved first during the switching process, and is to be released after the establishment of a new transmission path, so as to improve the communication efficiency of the terminal device during the switching process.

[0025] The method can be performed by a third communication apparatus, which can be a communication device or a communication apparatus (for example, a chip) capable of supporting the functions required by the communication device to implement the method. For example, the third communication apparatus is a network device, or a chip or other component provided in the network device and used to implement the functions of the network device. In the following description, the third communication apparatus is taken as an example of a source base station.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the source base station sends secondary base station indication information to the target base station, the secondary base station indication information being used to indicate that the secondary base station is a secondary base station of the target base station.

[0027] In a possible implementation, the secondary base station indication information comprises identification information of the secondary base station and / or frequency point information of a cell corresponding to the secondary base station.

[0028] In a possible implementation, the first indication information and / or the secondary base station indication information is carried in the switching request message.

[0029] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a target base station. The method comprises: a terminal device switching from a source base station to the target base station, the source base station and the target base station having a common secondary base station; the target base station receiving first indication information from the source base station, the first indication information being used to indicate that the first configuration is to be reserved during the switching process; and the target base station sending secondary base station indication information to the secondary base station, the secondary base station indication information being used to indicate that the secondary base station is a secondary base station of the target base station. By receiving the first indication information from the source base station, it can be determined that the first configuration (first transmission path) with the source secondary base station is to be reserved first during the switching process, and is to be released after the establishment of a new transmission path between the terminal device and the target secondary base station, so as to improve the communication efficiency of the terminal device during the switching process.

[0030] The method can be performed by a fourth communication apparatus, which can be a communication device or a communication apparatus, such as a chip, capable of supporting the functions required by the communication device to implement the method. Illustratively, the fourth communication apparatus is a network device, or a chip or other component in the network device for implementing the functions of the network device. In the following introduction, the fourth communication apparatus is taken as an example of a target base station.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the target base station determines the secondary base station according to the indication information from the source base station, or determines the secondary base station according to prior information.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the secondary base station indication information includes identification information of the secondary base station and / or frequency point information of a cell corresponding to the secondary base station.

[0033] In a possible implementation, the target base station sends the first indication information to the secondary base station.

[0034] In a possible implementation, the target base station sends a security configuration to the secondary base station.

[0035] In a possible implementation, the target base station sends third indication information to the secondary base station, where the third indication information is used to indicate release of the first configuration. The communication apparatus can be the terminal device in the first aspect, or an electronic device (such as a chip) 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 (also referred to as a processing module) and a transceiver unit (also referred to as a transceiver module).

[0036] For another example, the communication apparatus includes a processor coupled with a memory, configured to execute instructions in the memory to implement the method performed by the terminal device in the first aspect. 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.

[0037] The sixth aspect provides a communication apparatus. The communication apparatus can be the network device in the second aspect. The communication apparatus has the functions of the secondary base station. The communication apparatus is, for example, a base station, or a baseband device in the base station, or a chip. In one possible implementation, the communication apparatus includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device. In another possible 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).

[0038] In an alternative implementation form, the communication apparatus comprises a processing unit coupled to a storage unit and configured to execute a program or an instruction in the storage unit, so as to enable the communication apparatus to perform the functions of the source base station.

[0039] In a seventh aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus can be the network device of the third aspect. The communication apparatus is enabled to perform the functions of the source base station. The communication apparatus can be a base station, or a baseband device in a base station, or a chip. In an alternative implementation form, the communication apparatus comprises a baseband device and a radio frequency device. In another alternative implementation form, the communication apparatus comprises a processing unit (also referred to as a processing module) and a transceiver unit (also referred to as a transceiver module).

[0040] In an alternative implementation form, the communication apparatus comprises a processing unit coupled to a storage unit and configured to execute a program or an instruction in the storage unit, so as to enable the communication apparatus to perform the functions of the source base station.

[0041] In an eighth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus can be the network device of the fourth aspect. The communication apparatus is enabled to perform the functions of the target base station. The communication apparatus can be a base station, or a baseband device in a base station, or a chip. In an alternative implementation form, the communication apparatus comprises a baseband device and a radio frequency device. In another alternative implementation form, the communication apparatus comprises a processing unit (also referred to as a processing module) and a transceiver unit (also referred to as a transceiver module).

[0042] In an alternative implementation form, the communication apparatus comprises a processing unit coupled to a storage unit and configured to execute a program or an instruction in the storage unit, so as to enable the communication apparatus to perform the functions of the target base station.

[0043] In a ninth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising the communication apparatus of the fifth aspect, the communication apparatus of the sixth aspect, further comprising the communication apparatus of the seventh aspect and / or the communication apparatus of the eighth aspect.

[0044] In a tenth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, configured to store a computer program or an instruction, which when executed, causes the method of the first aspect to the fourth aspect or any possible implementation thereof to be implemented.

[0045] In an eleventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising an instruction, which when executed on a computer, causes the method of the first aspect to the fourth aspect or any possible implementation thereof to be implemented. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0046] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a wireless access network side protocol stack;

[0047] Figure 2A This is a schematic diagram illustrating an application scenario according to an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 2B This is a schematic diagram illustrating another application scenario of this application embodiment;

[0049] Figure 3A A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 3B A flowchart illustrating yet another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 4A A schematic diagram of a protocol stack provided for an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 4B A schematic diagram illustrating a second configuration for an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 4C Another schematic diagram illustrating a second configuration for an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 4D Another schematic diagram illustrating a second configuration for an embodiment of this application;

[0055] Figure 5 A schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 6 A schematic block diagram of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 7 This is a schematic block diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0058] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the embodiments of this application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0059] The following explanations of some terms used in the embodiments of this application are provided to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0060] 1) terminal device, including a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, specifically, including a device that provides voice to a user, or including a device that provides data connectivity to a user, or including a device that provides voice and data connectivity to a user. For example, can include a handheld device having wireless connection capability, or a processing device connected to a wireless modem. The terminal device can communicate with a core network via a radio access network (RAN), exchange voice or data with the RAN, or interact voice and data with the RAN. The terminal device can include a user equipment (UE), a wireless terminal device, a mobile terminal device, a device-to-device communication (D2D) terminal device, a vehicle to everything (V2X) terminal device, a machine-to-machine / machine-type communications (M2M / MTC) terminal device, an internet of things (IoT) terminal device, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a remote station, an access point (AP), a remote terminal, an access terminal, a user terminal, a user agent, or a user device, etc. For example, can include a mobile phone (or called "cellular" phone), a computer with a mobile terminal device, a portable, pocket, handheld, built-in computer mobile device, etc. For example, personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc. Also include limited devices, such as low power consumption devices, or limited storage devices, or limited computing devices, etc. For example, information sensing devices such as bar code, radio frequency identification (RFID), sensors, global positioning system (GPS), laser scanners, etc.

[0061] By way of example and not limitation, in embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can also be a wearable device. The wearable device can also be referred to as a smart wearable device or a smart wearable device, etc. It is a general term for devices that are designed and developed by applying wearable technology to daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. The wearable device is a portable device that is directly worn on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. The wearable device is not only a hardware device, but also a powerful function through software support and data interaction, cloud interaction. The broad sense of wearable smart devices includes full-featured, large-sized devices that can realize complete or partial functions without relying on smart phones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, and devices that focus on a certain application function and need to be used with other devices such as smart phones, such as various smart wristbands, smart helmets, and smart jewelry for monitoring vital signs.

[0062] Various terminal devices as introduced above can be considered as vehicle-mounted terminal devices if they are located on a vehicle (for example, placed in or installed in a vehicle), and the vehicle-mounted terminal device is also referred to as an on-board unit (OBU).

[0063] In embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can also include a relay. Alternatively, it can be understood that all devices capable of data communication with the base station can be regarded as terminal devices.

[0064] In embodiments of the present application, the device for realizing the function of the terminal device can be a terminal device, or a device capable of supporting the terminal device to realize the function, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the terminal device. In embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices. In the technical solutions provided in embodiments of the present application, the device for realizing the function of the terminal is taken as an example to describe the technical solutions provided in embodiments of the present application.

[0065] 2) Network device, for example, including access network (AN) device, for example, base station (for example, access point), can refer to the device in the access network which communicates with the wireless terminal device through one or more cells in the air interface, or for example, the network device in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology is a roadside unit (RSU). The base station can be used to convert the received air frame and IP packet to each other, as a router between the terminal device and the rest of the access network, wherein the rest of the access network can include an IP network. The RSU can be a fixed infrastructure entity supporting V2X applications, and can exchange messages with other entities supporting V2X applications. The network device can also coordinate the management of the properties of the air interface. For example, the network device can include an evolved base station (NodeB or eNB or e-NodeB, evolutional NodeB) in an LTE system or long term evolution-advanced (LTE-A), or can also include a next generation node B (gNB) in a 5th generation (5G) NR system (also referred to as NR system), or can also include a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) in a cloud radio access network (Cloud RAN) system, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited.

[0066] The network device can also include a core network device, for example, including access and mobility management function (AMF) or user plane function (UPF) and the like. Since the embodiments of the present application mainly relate to the access network, in the following text, the network device refers to the access network device unless otherwise specified.

[0067] In the embodiments of the present application, the 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, for example, 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.

[0068] 3) Radio access network side protocol stack, the network device and the terminal device have corresponding protocol stack structures for mutual communication. For exampleFigure 1 Part of the structure of the protocol stack is shown, taking the base station and the UE as an example. The user plane protocol stack structure can include a radio resource control (RRC) layer, a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, a media access link control (MAC), and a physical layer, etc., wherein the RRC layer and the SDAP layer are not shown in the figure. Figure 1 Figure 1 The arrows in the figure show the data transmission direction. After the downlink data is mapped by the SDAP layer, it first reaches the PDCP layer of the base station, is transmitted to the RLC layer and the MAC layer after being processed by the PDCP layer of the base station, and is sent out from the physical layer after being processed, and is transmitted to the UE side through the air interface. Correspondingly, the protocol layers of the UE side successively perform corresponding processing on the data packet in the reverse order of the base station. The processing of the data packet by each layer on the base station and the UE side can be combined and referred to as a radio bearer. Each data in the radio bearer needs to be processed by each layer, and each layer has a corresponding functional entity to perform the corresponding function, such as the PDCP entity in the PDCP layer performing the processing function. Each radio bearer configuration contains a PDCP entity configuration, and each radio bearer configuration is associated with at least one RLC entity configuration, and each RLC entity configuration corresponds to a logical channel configuration.

[0069] 4) Transmission path. In the present application, different transmission paths can refer to different radio bearers, or can refer to different protocol entity processing processes in the same radio bearer. For example, in the sending end, the same radio bearer includes a PDCP entity and two RLC entities (for example, a first RLC entity and a second RLC entity). If the data packet is transmitted to the first RLC entity for processing after being processed by the PDCP and is sent out through the air interface, it is referred to as one transmission path, and if the data packet is transmitted to the second RLC entity for processing after being processed by the PDCP and is sent out through the air interface, it is referred to as another transmission path. Each transmission path is processed by the corresponding entity at the receiving end. The transmission paths corresponding to the same PDCP entity belong to one radio bearer, that is, there can be different multiple transmission paths in one radio bearer.

[0070] ​5) The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of the present application can be used interchangeably. "At least one" refers to one or more, and "multiple" refers to two or more. The "and / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the following three 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 before and after it.

[0071] In addition, unless otherwise stated, the ordinal numbers "first", "second", etc. mentioned 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, time sequence, priority or importance of the plurality of objects. For example, the first configuration information and the second configuration information are only used to distinguish different configuration information, and do not mean that the size, content, sending order, priority or importance of the two configurations are different, nor do they limit whether the two configuration information is carried in the same or different messages.

[0072] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied in the 4th generation (4G) system, such as the LTE system, or in the 5G system, such as the NR system, or in the next generation mobile communication system or other similar communication systems, and the specific application is not limited.

[0073] Please refer to Figure 2A , which is one of the application scenarios of the embodiments of the present application. Figure 2A It includes network device 1, network device 2, network device 3 and terminal device. The network device 1 is the primary base station of the terminal device, and the network device 2 is the secondary base station of the terminal device, for example, the terminal device can be in the mode of E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity (EN-DC). The network device 2 is deployed within the coverage range of the network device 1 and the network device 3, so that when the terminal device switches from the network device 1 to the network device 3, the network device 2 can still serve as the secondary base station of the terminal device, for example, the network device 2 can be an NR base station, the network device 1 and the network device 3 can be LTE base stations, and the NR base station can serve as a secondary base station of multiple LTE base stations and form an EN-DC architecture with multiple LTE base stations to provide communication services for the UE. It should be understood that Figure 2A This is only one possible application scenario, and the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to a communication architecture in which the source base station and the target base station do not share a secondary base station, that is, the terminal device can obtain services through different secondary base stations before and after switching, for example Figure 2BAs shown, network device 1 and network device 2 form EN-DC to serve the UE before the handover, network device 3 and network device 4 form EN-DC to serve the UE after the handover, and network device 2 and network device 4 are different secondary base stations. Network devices 1-4 can work in an E-UTRA system, or in an NR system, or in a next-generation communication system or other communication system, and can work in the same communication system, for example, all work in an E-UTRA system, or can work in different communication systems.

[0074] Figure 2A Figure 2B The network devices in the above embodiments are, for example, base stations. In different systems, the network devices correspond to different devices, for example, in a 4G system, they can correspond to eNBs, and in a 5G system, they can correspond to access network devices in 5G, such as gNBs. Of course, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to future mobile communication systems, so the network devices in the above embodiments can also correspond to network devices in future mobile communication systems. Figure 2A Figure 2B The network devices in the above embodiments can also correspond to network devices in future mobile communication systems. Figure 2A Figure 2B Taking the network devices as base stations as an example, in fact, referring to the foregoing description, the network devices can also be RSUs and the like. In addition, Figure 2A Figure 2B The terminal devices in the above embodiments take mobile phones as an example, and in fact, according to the foregoing description of the terminal devices, it can be known that the terminal devices in the embodiments of the present application are not limited to mobile phones.

[0075] ​​​​In a mobile communication system, the mobility management of a connected state UE (a UE in an RRC connected state) is controlled by a network device. A source base station sends an RRC configuration message to the connected state UE, the UE performs measurement on a series of cells according to the RRC configuration message, and when a measurement reporting condition is met, reports the measurement result to the source base station currently connected. The source base station determines whether the UE needs to be handed over according to the measurement result, sends a handover request message to a target base station when it is determined that the UE needs to be handed over, and the target base station determines whether to allow the UE to access according to its communication capability, and sends a handover request acknowledgement message to the source base station. When access is allowed, the configuration information of the target base station is carried in the handover request acknowledgement message. After receiving the handover acknowledgement message, the source base station sends the configuration information of the target base station to the UE through an RRC reconfiguration message (also known as a handover command). Specifically, the handover command can include information such as random access resources required to access the target cell. After receiving the handover command, the UE will disconnect the connection with the source base station, and establish an RRC connection with the target cell through random access, that is, during the handover process, the communication between the UE and the network device will be interrupted. In the traditional handover process, after the UE receives the handover command, it will disconnect the connection with the source base station, and synchronize with the cell of the target base station through reading the system message, and then synchronize with the target cell through random access. In this process, the UE cannot communicate, so before successfully accessing the target base station, the UE will have a data interruption. In order to support the short delay requirement of ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) and other services, 5G also proposes a 0ms interruption handover process, such as Dual Active Protocol Stack (DAPS). Specifically, before successfully accessing the target base station, the UE communicates through the communication link with the source base station; and after successfully accessing the target base station, the UE communicates through the communication link with the target base station and releases the communication link with the source base station, so that the data communication is not interrupted during the entire handover process.

[0076] However, the DAPS or other smooth handover method has not been introduced into the dual connectivity communication structure. When the UE in the dual connectivity state is handed over, it will disconnect the connection with the source primary base station (the primary base station before the UE is handed over) and the source secondary base station (the secondary base station before the UE is handed over), and after establishing a connection with the target primary base station (the primary base station after the UE is handed over), the target secondary base station (the secondary base station after the UE is handed over) is added. Therefore, after the target secondary base station is added, the UE can communicate with the target secondary base station. Therefore, during the handover process, the communication between the UE and the secondary base station will be interrupted, and under the EN-DC architecture, most of the large data volume services are transmitted through the secondary base station (NR base station). Therefore, the interruption of communication with the secondary base station will seriously affect the user experience of these services.

[0077] Therefore, the technical solution of the embodiments of this application is provided. In the embodiments of this application, the terminal device in dual connectivity does not interrupt communication with the source and auxiliary base stations during the handover process, and releases the transmission path with the source and auxiliary base stations after establishing a transmission path with the target auxiliary base station, thereby improving the communication quality between the terminal device and the auxiliary base station.

[0078] For ease of explanation, the following text will use an example where the method is executed by a source base station, a target base station, a secondary base station, and a UE. It is assumed that the source secondary base station and the target secondary base station are the same secondary base station. The source base station can be... Figure 2A In the network architecture shown, network device 1, the secondary base station can be... Figure 2A In the network architecture shown, network device 2, the target base station can be... Figure 2A In the network architecture shown, network device 3, the UE can be... Figure 2A The terminal devices in the network architecture shown.

[0079] like Figure 3A As shown, in this embodiment, the UE is in a dual-connectivity state. The source base station is the UE's primary base station. The source base station or the secondary base station sends first configuration information to the UE. The UE performs a first configuration on the first radio bearer according to the first configuration information. The UE uses the first configuration to communicate with the secondary base station through the first radio bearer (hereinafter referred to as communicating with the secondary base station using the first configuration). During the process of the UE switching from the source base station to the target base station, the UE receives second configuration information from the secondary base station and performs a second configuration on the first radio bearer according to the second configuration information, while retaining the first configuration. The second configuration information of the secondary base station is sent to the UE by the secondary base station or forwarded to the UE by the target base station through the source base station. Before communicating with the secondary base station through the second configuration, the UE can retain and continue to use the first configuration to communicate with the secondary base station. After communicating with the secondary base station through the second configuration, the UE can release the first configuration.

[0080] The communication method provided in this application embodiment allows a dual-connection terminal device to establish a new transmission path with the secondary base station and communicate using the new transmission path during the handover process, while retaining the old transmission path and communicating using the old transmission path before using the new transmission path. This ensures uninterrupted communication with the secondary base station during the handover process and improves the communication quality between the UE and the secondary base station.

[0081] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, different configurations can correspond to different transmission paths of the same radio bearer, for example, the first configuration corresponds to the first transmission path, and the second configuration corresponds to the second transmission path. Another possible way is that different configurations correspond to different radio bearers, for example, the first configuration corresponds to the first radio bearer, and the second configuration corresponds to the second radio bearer, which are respectively the first transmission path and the second transmission path, wherein the first radio bearer and the second radio bearer can belong to the same secondary base station or belong to different secondary base stations. For the convenience of description, the present embodiment takes the case of different transmission paths of the same radio bearer as an example to illustrate the technical solutions.

[0082] The first configuration (or the second configuration) refers to the establishment or reconfiguration of the MAC entity, the RLC entity and / or the PDCP entity, and further can include security configuration. The meaning of the first configuration and the second configuration will be described in detail later. The communication with the secondary base station using the first configuration (or the second configuration) can be understood as: communicating through the transmission path formed between the secondary base station and the UE by the established (or reconfigured) MAC entity, RLC entity and PDCP entity. It should be understood that there can be multiple configurations for the same first radio bearer, for example, the first configuration and the second configuration, and different configurations can correspond to the same or different transmission paths, so that the UE can use multiple transmission paths to communicate with the secondary base station through the first radio bearer.

[0083] Next, the communication method provided by the present application will be described in detail, as shown in Figure 3B The communication method provided by the present application includes steps S301-S308.

[0084] In step S301, the UE establishes dual connectivity with the source base station and the secondary base station, and communicates with the secondary base station through the first radio bearer using the first configuration, wherein the first configuration is configured by the UE according to the first configuration information for the first radio bearer.

[0085] In step S302, the source base station sends a handover request message to the target base station, and correspondingly, the target base station receives the handover request message from the source base station, wherein the handover request message is used to request to hand over the UE from the source base station to the target base station.

[0086] In step S303, the target base station sends secondary base station indication information to the secondary base station, wherein the secondary base station indication information is used to add the secondary base station as the secondary base station of the target base station, and further, the target base station sends first indication information to the secondary base station.

[0087] In step S304, the secondary base station sends second configuration information to the UE, wherein the second configuration information is used to second configure the first radio bearer, and correspondingly, the UE receives the second configuration information from the secondary base station.

[0088] Step S305, the UE performs second configuration on the first radio bearer according to the second configuration information, and retains the first configuration.

[0089] Step S306, the UE communicates with the secondary base station using the second configuration.

[0090] Step S307, the UE releases the first configuration.

[0091] Step S308, the UE sends a handover completion message to the target base station, and correspondingly, the target base station receives the handover completion message from the UE.

[0092] Through the communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application, for a terminal device in dual connectivity service, taking the communication of one radio bearer as an example, a new transmission path can be established with the secondary base station first and the old transmission path can be released later in the terminal device switching process, so that the communication between the terminal device and the secondary base station is not interrupted in the switching process, the communication quality of the UE is improved, and the execution method of each step above will be described in detail.

[0093] For step S301, the UE establishes dual connectivity with the source base station and the secondary base station, communicates with the secondary base station through the first radio bearer using the first configuration, and the first configuration is the configuration of the first radio bearer performed by the UE according to the first configuration information.

[0094] The UE is in a dual connection state and can communicate with the source base station and the secondary base station simultaneously. For data transmission, a radio bearer is generally used. For different services, the UE and the base station can establish multiple radio bearers for communication. Taking a first radio bearer as an example, the UE communicates with the secondary base station by using a first configuration through the first radio bearer. The first configuration is a configuration of the first radio bearer by the UE according to first configuration information. That is, the first configuration is a configuration of the UE corresponding to the source secondary base station (the secondary base station of the source base station) before the handover, or it can be understood that the first configuration is a configuration required by the UE for communication with the source secondary base station. The communication of the UE with the secondary base station by using the first configuration through the first radio bearer can be understood as a first transmission path used by the UE for communication with the secondary base station before the handover. The first configuration information can be understood as configuration information about the first transmission path sent by the base station to the UE before the handover. It should be noted that the UE and the base station can establish multiple radio bearers for communication. It can also be understood that the first radio bearer includes at least one radio bearer, and the first configuration is a configuration of at least one radio bearer. The first configuration includes a first PDCP entity and a first RLC entity. The first PDCP entity, the first RLC entity, and a first security configuration are associated with each other. The communication of the UE with the secondary base station by using the first configuration through the first radio bearer can be understood as that the data packet of the UE is transmitted to the first RLC entity for processing after being processed by the first PDCP entity, and is sent through the air interface. The first security configuration is used to ensure transmission security.

[0095] In a possible implementation, the method further includes receiving the first configuration information from a network device. The network device can be the source base station or the secondary base station.

[0096] In a possible implementation, the method further includes performing a first configuration of the first radio bearer according to the first configuration information. For example, the UE establishes the first radio bearer according to the first configuration information. Specifically, the UE establishes the first PDCP entity and the first RLC entity, and performs the first security configuration. The first PDCP entity, the first RLC entity, and the first security configuration are associated with each other. After the UE establishes the first radio bearer according to the first configuration information, the UE can communicate with the secondary base station by using the first configuration through the first radio bearer, or through a first transmission path. The first configuration information is configuration information for configuring a transmission path between the UE and the secondary base station before the handover. However, it is not limited to the configuration information of the transmission path for the first communication between the UE and the secondary base station. For example, before the first configuration, the UE communicates with the secondary base station by using other configurations through the first radio bearer. However, before the handover, the first configuration of the first radio bearer is performed according to the first configuration information. The UE is in a state of communicating with the secondary base station by using the first configuration through the first radio bearer.

[0097] For step S302, the source base station sends a handover request message to the target base station, and correspondingly, the target base station receives the handover request message from the source base station, and the handover request message is used to request to hand over the UE from the source base station to the target base station.

[0098] Optionally, the method further includes step S3021, the source base station sends the secondary base station information to the target base station, and correspondingly, the target base station receives the secondary base station information from the source base station, and the target base station determines whether to use the same secondary base station after the handover to provide the communication service for the UE in combination with the target base station to form the dual connectivity. Specifically, the target base station can determine the secondary base station in the following two ways.

[0099] In the first possible implementation, the secondary base station information is reference information, and the target secondary base station after the handover is determined by the target base station. For example, the source base station sends the secondary base station information of the source base station to the target base station, and the secondary base station information indicates that the secondary base station of the source base station is base station A, and the secondary base station information can further indicate the location information, the identification information or the frequency information of the base station A, and the target base station can determine whether to use the source secondary base station as the secondary base station of the target base station after the handover according to the secondary base station information; for another example, the secondary base station information is used to indicate that the UE is configured with the dual connectivity, and the target base station further determines the secondary base station corresponding to the target base station according to the prior information, wherein the prior information can be obtained by the target base station through the Xn interface in advance, or the prior information can be pre-configured through the operation administration and maintenance (OAM). The target base station can flexibly decide the target secondary base station through the secondary base station information from the source base station to improve the quality of the communication service for the UE.

[0100] In the second possible implementation, the secondary base station information is used to indicate that the target base station can continue to use the source secondary base station as the target secondary base station, and after receiving the source secondary base station indication information, the target base station can decide whether to accept the source secondary base station as the target secondary base station according to the situation of the target base station. Wherein, the source secondary base station information includes the identification information, the location information or the frequency information of the source secondary base station, and the target base station determines the secondary base station corresponding to the secondary base station identification information as the target secondary base station. The source base station can specify the secondary base station of the target base station through the secondary base station information to increase the configuration flexibility.

[0101] Optionally, the method further comprises step S3022, the source base station sends first indication information to the target base station, the first indication information is used to indicate that the first configuration or transmission path is reserved or not released, and further can indicate which configurations of which radio bearers are reserved; or the first indication information is used to indicate that the communication between the secondary base station and the UE is not interrupted during the handover process, correspondingly, the target base station receives the first indication information from the source base station. That is, the source base station can indicate through the first indication information that the communication with the secondary base station is not interrupted during the handover process, so as to improve the communication quality of the UE. The source base station can make different controls for UEs with different requirements, for example, only provide the non-interruption service during the handover process for UEs with high service quality requirements, and do not provide the non-interruption service for UEs with low service quality requirements, so as to reasonably allocate the resources of the communication system. The first indication information can be included in the second configuration information, or carried in the same message as the second configuration information. The first indication information can be realized by explicit or implicit ways.

[0102] In the first possible implementation, the first indication information is explicitly indicated by adding an information element (IE), an indication domain or a field, to indicate that the communication of certain radio bearers or the communication of all radio bearers is not interrupted during the handover process.

[0103] In the second possible implementation, the UE identifier, the service identifier, the quality of service (QoS) parameter and / or the source base station identifier for which the communication is not interrupted during the handover process are predefined or configured. The target base station can determine whether there is a radio bearer for which the service transmission needs to be ensured not to be interrupted during the handover process by the UE identifier, the service identifier, the QoS parameter and / or the source base station identifier in the handover request.

[0104] Optionally, the method further comprises step S3023, the source base station sends the measurement result of the UE to the target base station, the measurement result is obtained by the UE measuring the reference signal from the secondary base station, and the measurement result is used to indicate the channel quality between the UE and the secondary base station. Correspondingly, the target base station receives the measurement result of the UE from the source base station, and further, the target determines whether to keep the communication with the secondary base station not interrupted during the handover process according to the measurement result. For example, the target base station determines that the channel quality between the secondary base station and the UE meets a preset threshold or the channel quality between the secondary base station and the UE is better than that of all candidate secondary base stations, for example, ranks first or ranks top N, and the target base station can decide to continue to add the secondary base station as the target secondary base station, that is, keep the communication between the UE and the secondary base station not interrupted, where N is pre-configured or predefined.

[0105] It should be noted that the above at least one of the secondary base station information, the first indication information and the measurement result of the UE can be carried in the handover request message, or can be carried in other existing messages or sent through a separate message, and the application does not limit whether the handover request message, the secondary base station information, the first indication information and the measurement result of the UE are sent in the same message.

[0106] For step S303, the target base station sends secondary base station indication information to the secondary base station, the secondary base station indication information being used to indicate that the secondary base station is a secondary base station of the target base station, or to indicate that the secondary base station is added as a target secondary base station.

[0107] After determining the secondary base station, the target base station sends indication information to the secondary base station, which is used to indicate that the secondary base station, after the UE is handed over, provides dual connectivity communication services for the UE together with the target base station, and the secondary base station can be the source secondary base station or another secondary base station different from the source secondary base station.

[0108] Optionally, the method further includes step S3031, the target base station sends first indication information to the secondary base station, the first indication information being used to indicate that the first configuration of the first radio bearer is reserved or the first transmission path is reserved, or the communication between the UE and the secondary base station is not interrupted during the handover process. Specifically, the first indication information can include a UE identifier to separately specify the UE for which the communication service is not interrupted, and can also include a radio bearer identifier to separately specify the radio bearer for which the interruption is not required, so as to achieve flexible control. The first indication information can be included in the second configuration information or carried in the same message as the second configuration information.

[0109] Optionally, the method further includes step S3032, the target base station can send security configuration to the secondary base station, the security configuration being used to indicate the security configuration applied when the secondary base station establishes a new transmission path with the UE, and the security configuration includes security key information and / or security algorithm information, and can also include input parameters required for pushing new security parameters, such as identifier information or frequency information. The target base station can send the security configuration to the secondary base station to indicate the security configuration parameters used by the UE when using the new transmission path after the handover, so as to achieve flexible scheduling.

[0110] For step S304, the secondary base station sends second configuration information to the UE, the second configuration information being used to perform second configuration on the first radio bearer, and correspondingly, the UE receives the second configuration information from the secondary base station.

[0111] As described above, the first radio bearer includes at least one radio bearer, and the second configuration is a configuration on at least one radio bearer, that is, the second configuration information can include configuration information of at least one radio bearer.

[0112] The secondary base station can send the second configuration information to the UE through the first radio bearer using the first configuration, or send the second configuration information to the source base station, which sends it to the UE, or send the second configuration information to the target base station, which sends it to the source base station, and then sends it to the UE through the source base station.

[0113] Before step S304, step S3041 can also be included: the secondary base station determines the second configuration information, that is, the secondary base station determines the configuration information of the transmission path of the UE after the handover. Specifically, the second configuration information includes at least one of radio link control (RLC) layer configuration, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer configuration and security configuration, which are used to configure the second transmission path (which can be understood as the second configuration) of the first radio bearer. The RLC layer configuration is used to configure the RLC entity of the second transmission path, the PDCP layer configuration is used to configure the PDCP entity of the second transmission path, and the security configuration is used to configure the security parameter applied to the second transmission path. The second configuration information will be described in detail in step S305 below in combination with the configuration method of the second configuration.

[0114] Optionally, the second configuration information further includes indication information. In one possible implementation, the indication information is used to indicate the type of the first radio bearer configured according to the second configuration information, for example, the type can be a secondary base station dual-activation radio bearer or a secondary base station dual-path radio bearer. The configuration method of the radio bearer of the type can be predefined or preconfigured, for example, the radio bearer of the type can reconfigure the original PDCP entity, retain the original RLC entity and additionally establish a new RLC entity. Specifically, the second configuration information can further include fourth indication information, which is used to indicate that the UE retains the first configuration and performs the second configuration on the first radio bearer according to the second configuration information, for example, the fourth indication information is associated with the first configuration information, and when the secondary base station sends the second configuration information and the first identifier to the UE, it is used to indicate that the UE retains the original configuration for the first radio bearer corresponding to the first identifier and performs the second configuration on it according to the second configuration information. Further, through the fourth indication information, the secondary base station can indicate that the second configuration information does not include all the configuration information corresponding to the second configuration, so that the UE can reconfigure the first radio bearer in combination with the existing configuration or multiplex the existing entity, for example, only the different parameter information can be sent to save the signaling transmission consumption.

[0115] Optionally, the method further comprises step S3042, the secondary base station sends first indication information to the UE, the first indication information is used to indicate reserving the first configuration, or used to indicate not interrupting the communication between the secondary base station and the UE in the handover process, and correspondingly, the UE receives the first indication information from the secondary base station. The function and indication mode of the first indication information please refer to the related description in step S3022.

[0116] The second configuration information and / or the first indication information can be carried in signaling radio bearer (SRB) 3, that is, the secondary base station can transmit the second configuration information in the SRB 3. Alternatively, the secondary base station can also send the second configuration information and / or the first indication information to the source base station, and the source base station sends the second configuration information and / or the first indication information to the UE, for example, the source base station can transmit the second configuration information and / or the first indication information through the handover command or through other signaling. Alternatively, the secondary base station can also send the second configuration information and / or the first indication information to the target base station, and the target base station sends the second configuration information and / or the first indication information to the source base station, and the source base station sends the second configuration information and / or the first indication information to the UE, for example, the source base station can transmit the second configuration information and / or the first indication information through the handover command or through other signaling.

[0117] For step S305, the UE performs second configuration on the first radio bearer according to the second configuration information, and reserves the first configuration.

[0118] The second configuration refers to the configuration of the UE on the first radio bearer according to the second configuration information, that is, the second configuration is the configuration of the UE corresponding to the target secondary base station (the secondary base station of the target base station), or it can be understood that the second configuration is the configuration required by the UE for communicating with the target secondary base station after the handover. The performing second configuration can also be understood as the UE reconfiguring the transmission path with the secondary base station according to the second configuration information. The reserving the first configuration can be understood as the terminal device continuing to use the first configuration to communicate with the secondary base station through the first radio bearer, or temporarily not releasing the first configuration for the purpose of continuing to communicate with the secondary base station. Next, the specific method of the UE performing second configuration on the first radio bearer will be described in combination with Figure 4A

[0119] In Figures 4A-4D , the dashed box is a protocol stack diagram of the terminal device, wherein the left side list represents the protocol stack used by the terminal device when communicating with the network device 1 before handover, the right side list represents the protocol stack used by the terminal device when communicating with the network device 3 after handover, and the middle list represents the protocol stack used by the terminal device when communicating with the network device 2 before and after handover and during handover. The terminal device can be, for example, a UE, the network device 1 can be, for example, a source base station, the network device 2 can be, for example, a secondary base station, and the network device 3 can be, for example, a target base station.

[0120] ​As mentioned above, the UE-side protocol stack includes a PDCP entity, an RLC entity, a MAC entity and a PHY entity, before handover, the UE uses a first configuration to communicate with the secondary base station through a first transmission path, the first transmission path is Figure 4A The transmission path of the data processed by the PDCP entity 1, the RLC entity 1, the MAC entity and the PHY entity to the network device 2 (the source secondary base station) through the air interface. The UE performs a second configuration on the first radio bearer according to the second configuration information, to form a second transmission path in addition to the first transmission path, including configuring a security key or a security algorithm according to the security configuration, and then the first transmission path and the second transmission path can correspond to different security configurations, the security configuration is used for security processing of the data packet, including encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification, to realize the security of the communication transmission, because the security configuration of the secondary base station is associated with the primary base station, the security configuration used by the same base station as the secondary base station of the source base station and as the secondary base station of the target base station is different, so configuring different security configurations for the first transmission path and the second transmission path can make the data communication proceed correctly. Further, the UE can also establish a new RLC entity and / or a PDCP entity according to the second configuration, or reconfigure the existing RLC entity and / or PDCP entity.

[0121] In a first possible implementation, as shown in Figure 4B The UE establishes a new RLC entity 2 according to the second configuration information, and reconfigures the PDCP entity 1 according to the second configuration information, the second transmission path corresponds to the transmission path formed by the PDCP entity 1, the RLC entity 2 and the MAC entity, the PHY entity, wherein the UE also configures a new security configuration 2 for the PDCP entity 1 according to the security configuration in the second configuration information, and applies the old security configuration 1 when the PDCP entity 1 transmits data through the first transmission path, and applies the new security configuration 2 when the PDCP entity 1 transmits data through the first transmission path, to realize the security of the data transmission before and after the handover. Specifically, the UE associates the RLC entity 1 and the RLC entity 2 with the PDCP entity 1 according to the second configuration information, so that the data packets processed by the RLC entity 1 and the RLC entity 2 can be submitted to the PDCP entity 1 for processing; further, the UE needs to associate the RLC entity 1 with the old security configuration 1, and associate the RLC entity 2 with the new security configuration 2 according to the second configuration information, so that the data packets processed by the RLC entity 1 are processed in the PDCP entity 1 using the old security configuration 1, and the data packets processed by the RLC entity 2 are processed in the PDCP entity 1 using the new security configuration 2.

[0122] It should be understood that in this possible implementation, the UE multiplexes the old PDCP entity 1 and establishes the new RLC entity 2, and correspondingly, there are two possible indication manners for the second configuration information:

[0123] (1) In the first indication manner, the second configuration information includes PDCP layer configuration 1, RLC layer configuration 1, RLC layer configuration 2, security configuration 1 and security configuration 2, wherein the PDCP layer configuration is used to reconfigure the PDCP entity 1 or release the original PDCP entity and newly build the PDCP entity 1, the RLC layer configuration 1 is used to configure the new RLC entity 1, the RLC layer configuration 2 is used to configure the new RLC entity 2, the security configuration 1 corresponds to the RLC entity 1, the security configuration 2 corresponds to the RLC entity 2, and after the UE receives the second configuration information, the UE can complete the configuration of the second transmission path according to the second configuration information, and retain the first configuration or in other words, retain the first transmission path. In this case, the second configuration information can include the same radio bearer identifier in the RLC layer configuration 1 and the RLC layer configuration 2, and associate the identifier with the PDCP layer configuration, so as to finally associate the RLC entity 1 and the RLC entity 2 with the PDCP entity 1. In addition, the first RLC entity identifier can be included in the RLC layer configuration 1, the second RLC entity identifier can be included in the RLC layer configuration 2, and the first RLC entity identifier and the second RLC entity identifier can be included in the PDCP layer configuration 1, so that the UE can configure the PDCP layer 1 to correspond to the RLC entity 1 and the RLC entity 2. In addition, the second configuration information can include indication information to indicate the correspondence between the RLC layer and the security configuration, or the second configuration information can include the identifier of the corresponding RLC entity in the security configuration, for example, the security configuration 2 includes the identifier of the RLC layer configuration 2 or the same identifier is included in the security configuration 2 and the RLC layer configuration 2, so that the UE can determine that the RLC layer 2 corresponds to the security configuration 2 and can be used to transmit the data packet corresponding to the second transmission path.

[0124] (2) In the second indication manner, the second configuration information includes the RLC layer configuration 2, the security configuration 1 and the fourth indication information, the meanings of the RLC layer configuration 2 and the security configuration 1 can be referred to the related description in the first indication manner, the indication information is used to indicate that the first configuration is retained and the second transmission path is configured according to the second configuration information, or the fourth indication information is used to indicate the type of the second transmission path, after the UE receives the indication information, the first configuration can be retained and the second transmission path can be configured according to the second configuration, and in this indication manner, the second configuration information can be understood as transmitting only the incremental configuration information, so as to reduce the consumption of signaling transmission.

[0125] In the second possible implementation, as Figure 4CAs shown, the UE configures new PDCP entity 2 and RLC entity 2 according to the second configuration information to form a second transmission path. The second transmission path corresponds to the transmission path formed by PDCP entity 2, RLC entity 2, MAC entity, and PHY entity. The UE also configures the security configuration of PDCP entity 2 according to the security configuration in the second configuration information.

[0126] In the third possible implementation, such as Figure 4D As shown, the UE reconfigures PDCP entity 1 and RLC entity 1 according to the second configuration information, and creates a new second logical channel to form a second transmission path. This second transmission path corresponds to the reconfigured PDCP entity 1, the reconfigured RLC entity 1, and the transmission path formed by the second logical channel, the MAC entity, and the PHY entity. The UE also configures new security configurations for PDCP entity 1 and RLC entity 2 according to the security configuration in the second configuration information. This can be understood as the second configuration reusing and reconfiguring the original PDCP entity 1 and RLC entity 1. In this possible implementation, after the same RLC entity is reconfigured, it is associated with two logical channels, corresponding to the first transmission path and the second transmission path respectively. Data processed by the first security is transmitted through the first transmission path, and data processed by the second security is transmitted through the second transmission path.

[0127] Through the above three possible implementations, the UE can configure the second transmission path according to the second configuration information. It should be noted that the same robust header compression (ROHC) configuration information can be applied to RLC entity 1 and RLC entity 2. The first transmission path and the second transmission path can share the same MAC entity and the same PHY entity.

[0128] The protocol stack on the base station side corresponds to the protocol stack on the UE side. Therefore, the method for the UE to perform a second configuration based on the second configuration information in this application can also be applied to the auxiliary base station. The base station performs a second configuration on the first radio bearer based on the second configuration information, retains the first configuration, so that the first transmission path is released after the second transmission path is established, thereby improving communication quality. This will not be elaborated further here. In addition, the method of this embodiment is applicable to both uplink and downlink, and is not specifically limited.

[0129] After step S305, the method can further include step S3051, the UE sends second indication information to the secondary base station, the second indication information is used to indicate that the second transmission path has been established according to the second configuration, and correspondingly, the secondary base station receives the second indication information from the UE, wherein the second indication information can be forwarded via the target base station, the UE sends the second indication information to the target base station first, and then the target base station sends the second indication information to the secondary base station. In a possible implementation, the UE can explicitly indicate the establishment completion information to the secondary base station, for example, by adding a message, an IE or a field to indicate the second configuration establishment completion; in another possible implementation, the UE can implicitly indicate the establishment completion information to the secondary base station, for example, the UE can transmit uplink data to the secondary base station through the second configuration, and after the secondary base station receives the data transmitted by the UE through the second configuration, it can be determined that subsequent communication with the UE can be performed through the second transmission path. By using the implicit indication method, signaling consumption can be saved and transmission efficiency can be improved.

[0130] After step S305, the method can further include step S3052, the secondary base station sends third indication information to the UE, and correspondingly, the UE receives the third indication information from the secondary base station, wherein the third indication information is used to indicate to release the first configuration, and it can also be understood that the third indication information is used to indicate to release the first configuration. In a possible implementation, the secondary base station explicitly sends the third indication information to the UE, for example, by adding a message, an IE or a field to indicate the release of the first configuration information or the release of the first configuration; in another possible implementation, the secondary base station implicitly sends the third indication information to the UE, for example, the secondary base station transmits downlink data to the UE through the second transmission path, and after the UE receives the data transmitted by the secondary base station through the second transmission path, it can be determined that subsequent communication with the secondary base station is performed through the second transmission path, and then the first configuration is released. By using the implicit indication method, signaling consumption can be saved and transmission efficiency can be improved.

[0131] For step S306, the UE communicates with the secondary base station using the second configuration.

[0132] Wherein, the communication with the secondary base station using the second configuration can be understood as the communication with the secondary base station using the first radio bearer configured by the second configuration, that is, the communication with the secondary base station using the second transmission path of the first radio bearer. Before the establishment of the new transmission path, the UE communicates with the secondary base station through the old transmission path (the first configuration), and after the establishment of the new transmission path, the UE communicates with the secondary base station through the new transmission path (the second configuration). Therefore, during the handover process, the communication between the UE and the secondary base station is not interrupted, and the communication experience of the UE can be improved.

[0133] For step S307, the secondary base station releases the first configuration information, and the UE releases the first configuration information.

[0134] It should be understood that step S307 is an optional step, and the UE releases the first configuration information (or is understood as releasing the first configuration) after communicating with the secondary base station through the second configuration, so as to ensure that the UE and the secondary base station can communicate through the old transmission path before the new transmission path is applied, and to ensure the communication quality during the handover process.

[0135] For step S308, the UE sends a handover completion message to the target base station, and correspondingly, the target base station receives the handover completion message from the UE.

[0136] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the execution order of step S307 and step S308. After the UE communicates with the secondary base station through the second configuration, the communication between the UE and the secondary base station during the handover process can be uninterrupted, and the UE and the secondary base station can also release the first configuration information and / or the first configuration after the handover is completed.

[0137] It should be noted that the second configuration and the second transmission path in the embodiments of the present application are used to represent the transmission path of the UE communicating with the secondary base station after the handover, which can include at least one bearer. For example, uplink information and downlink information can be transmitted through different radio bearers, and at least one second configuration can be configured through one second configuration information or different second configuration information. The second configuration information is used to represent the transmission path configuration information of the UE communicating with the secondary base station after the handover.

[0138] In the embodiments of the present application, the UE in dual connectivity can establish a second transmission path according to the second configuration information during the handover process, and release the first configuration after the second transmission path is established with the secondary base station, so as to realize uninterrupted communication transmission during the handover process and improve the communication quality of the UE.

[0139] In addition, for the scenario where the target base station uses a base station different from the source secondary base station as a secondary base station after the handover, during the handover process, the UE simultaneously uses the first transmission path to communicate with the source secondary base station and configures the second transmission path to communicate with the target secondary base station. The first transmission path and the second transmission path correspond to different radio bearers, respectively. After the handover is completed, the UE disconnects the communication with the source secondary base station, so as to ensure that the communication with the secondary base station is not interrupted during the handover process. The specific configuration method and configuration process are similar to the scenario where the secondary base station does not change. After the target base station receives the indication of the source base station or the configuration of the source secondary base station, the target secondary base station is added. The UE maintains the communication connection with the source secondary base station according to the indication of the base station, and accesses the target secondary base station. After starting to communicate with the target secondary base station, the connection with the source secondary base station is disconnected, and details are not described herein.

[0140] The device for implementing the above method in the embodiments of the present application is described below with reference to the drawings. Therefore, the content in the foregoing can be used in the subsequent embodiments, and the repeated content is not described again.

[0141] Figure 5 A structural schematic diagram of a communication device provided in the embodiments of the present application is given. The communication device 500 can be a terminal device in the Figure 2A or Figure 2B , used to implement the method corresponding to the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The communication device can also be a network device 1-3 in the Figure 2A or Figure 2B , used to implement the method corresponding to the source base station, target base station or secondary base station in the above method embodiments. The specific functions can be referred to the description in the above method embodiments.

[0142] The communication device 500 includes one or more processors 501. The processor 501 can also be referred to as a processing unit, which can implement certain control functions. The processor 501 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 device 500, execute software programs and / or process data. Different processors can be independent devices, or can be integrated in one or more processors, for example, integrated on one or more application-specific integrated circuits.

[0143] Optionally, the communication device 500 includes one or more memories 502 for storing instructions 504, which can be run on the processor, so that the terminal device 500 executes the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memory 502 can also store data. The processor and the memory can be separately arranged, or can be integrated together.

[0144] Optionally, the communication device 501 can include instructions 503 (which can also be referred to as code or program), which can be run on the processor, so that the communication device 500 executes the methods described in the above embodiments. The processor 501 can store data.

[0145] Optionally, the communication device 500 can also include a transceiver 505 and an antenna 506. The transceiver 505 can be referred to as a transceiving unit, a transceiver, a transceiving circuit, a transceiver, an input / output interface, etc., used to realize the transceiving function of the communication device 500 through the antenna 506.

[0146] Optionally, the communication apparatus 500 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 (I / O) interface, a sensor module, a motor, a camera, or a display, etc. It can be understood that, in some embodiments, the communication apparatus 500 can include more or less components, or some components can be integrated, or some components can be split into multiple components. These components can be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0147] The processor 501 and the transceiver 505 described in this 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, etc. 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.

[0148] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication apparatus, which can be used in the foregoing various embodiments. The communication apparatus includes means, units and / or circuits corresponding to the UE functions described in the embodiments shown in Figure 3A or Figure 3B , Figures 4A-4D For example, the communication apparatus includes a transceiver module to support the communication apparatus to perform transceiving functions, and a processing module to support the communication apparatus to process signals.

[0149] Figure 6 A structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application is given, wherein the communication apparatus is, for example, a terminal device.

[0150] The terminal device 600 can be applicable in the system shown in Figure 2A , Figure 2B For ease of illustration, Figure 6 only the main components of the terminal device 600 are shown. As Figure 6As shown, the terminal device 600 comprises a processor, and optionally comprises a memory, a control circuit, an antenna and an input / output device. The processor is mainly used for processing communication protocols and communication data, and controlling the whole terminal device 600, executing software programs and processing data of the software programs. The memory is mainly used for storing software programs and data. The control circuit is mainly used for converting baseband signals and radio frequency signals and processing radio frequency signals. The antenna is mainly used for receiving and transmitting radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. The input / output device, such as a touch screen, a display screen, a microphone, a keyboard and the like, is mainly used for receiving user input data and outputting data to the user.

[0151] Taking the terminal device 600 as a mobile phone as an example, when the terminal device 600 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 in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is transmitted to the terminal device 600, 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 into data and processes the data.

[0152] Those skilled in the art can understand that, for the convenience of description, Figure 6 Only one memory and one processor are shown. In some embodiments, the terminal device 600 can comprise a plurality of 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 this.

[0153] As an optional implementation manner, the processor can comprise a baseband processor and a central processor. The baseband processor is mainly used for processing communication protocols and communication data. The central processor is mainly used for controlling the whole terminal device 600, executing software programs and processing data of the software programs. Figure 6The processor in the terminal device 600 integrates the functions of a baseband processor and a central processing unit (CPU). Those skilled in the art will understand that the baseband processor and CPU can also be independent processors interconnected via technologies such as buses. The terminal device 600 may include multiple baseband processors to adapt to different network standards, and multiple CPUs to enhance its processing capabilities. The various components of the terminal device 600 can be connected via various buses. The baseband processor can also be described as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. The CPU can also be described 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 storage unit as a software program, with the processor executing the software program to implement the baseband processing function.

[0154] In one example, the antenna and control circuit with transceiver functions can be considered as the transceiver unit 610 of the terminal device 600, and the processor with processing functions can be considered as the processing unit 620 of the terminal device 600. For example... Figure 6 As shown, the terminal device 600 includes a transceiver unit 610 and a processing unit 620. The transceiver unit can also be called a transceiver module, transceiver, transceiver device, etc., and the processing unit can also be called a processing module. Optionally, the device in the transceiver unit 610 used to implement the receiving function can be considered as a receiving unit, and the device in the transceiver unit 610 used to implement the transmitting function can be considered as a transmitting unit; that is, the transceiver unit 610 includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. For example, the receiving unit can also be called a receiver, receiver circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit can be called a transmitter, transmitter, or transmitting circuit, etc.

[0155] Among them, when Figure 5 When used as a terminal device, the transceiver 505 and Figure 6 The transceiver unit 610 in the above method embodiment can be used to implement the steps related to receiving and sending, for example:

[0156] Transceiver 505 and transceiver unit 610 are used to communicate with the secondary base station via a first radio bearer using a first configuration, to receive second configuration information from the network side, and to communicate with the secondary base station via the first radio bearer using the second configuration.

[0157] In one possible implementation, transceiver 505 and transceiver unit 610 are further configured to send a second indication message to the auxiliary base station, the second indication message indicating that the second configuration has been completed.

[0158] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 505 and the transceiving unit 610 are further configured to receive third indication information from the secondary base station or from the target base station, the third indication information being used to indicate to release the first configuration.

[0159] Figure 5 The processor 501 in the network device 500 and the processing unit 620 in the network device 600 can be configured to implement the steps of the methods in the above embodiments, for example, the second configuration of the first radio bearer according to the second configuration information, and the retaining of the first configuration. Figure 6

[0160] The embodiments of the present application also provide a communication apparatus, which can be used in the above embodiments. The communication apparatus comprises means, units and / or circuits configured to implement the functions of the source base station, the target base station or the secondary base station in the embodiments shown in Figure 3A or Figures 4A-4D , Figure 7 The communication apparatus comprises a transceiving module configured to support the communication apparatus to perform transceiving, and a processing module configured to support the communication apparatus to process signals.

[0161] Figure 7 The structure of a communication apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application is shown in the figure. The communication apparatus is, for example, a network device. As shown in the figure, the network device 700 can be applied in the system shown in Figure 2A or Figure 2B or Figure 3A The network device 700 can be a secondary base station or have the function of a secondary base station with respect to one or more UEs, or can be a source base station or a target base station or have the function of a source base station or a target base station with respect to one or more UEs. The network device comprises a baseband device 701, a radio frequency device 702 and an antenna 703. In the uplink direction, the radio frequency device 702 receives information sent by a terminal device through the antenna 703, and sends the information to the baseband device 701 for processing. In the downlink direction, the baseband device 701 processes information of the terminal device and sends it to the radio frequency device 702, and the radio frequency device 702 processes the information of the terminal device and sends it to the terminal device through the antenna 701.

[0162] ​The baseband device 701 includes one or more processing units (units also referred to as modules) 7011, a storage unit 7012, and a transceiver unit 7013. The processing unit 7011 is configured to support the network device to perform the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The storage unit 7012 is configured to store software programs and / or data. The transceiver unit 7013, also referred to as an interface, is configured to interact with the radio frequency device 702. The interface includes interface circuitry for input and output of information. 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 such integrated circuits. The integrated circuits can be integrated together to form a chip. The storage unit 7012 and the processing unit 7011 can be located in the same chip, i.e., an on-chip storage element. Alternatively, the storage unit 7012 and the processing unit 7011 can be located on different chips, i.e., an off-chip storage element. The storage unit 7012 can be a single memory or a plurality of memories or storage elements.

[0163] The network device can implement some or all of the steps in the above method embodiments through one or more processing unit schedulers. For example, the network device in the above method embodiments can be implemented by the one or more processing units in the network device. Figure 3B or Figure 5 The one or more processing units can support the same wireless access technology or different wireless access technologies.

[0164] When the network device in the above method embodiments is the network device 500, the transceiver 505 of the network device 500 and the transceiver unit 7013 of the network device 500 can be used to implement the steps related to receiving and sending in the above method embodiments, such as receiving secondary base station indication information, the secondary base station indication information being used to indicate that the secondary base station is a target base station secondary base station, and sending second configuration information to the terminal device. Figure 7 Figure 5 In one possible implementation, the transceiver 505 and the transceiver unit 7013 are further configured to communicate with the terminal device using the first configuration through the first radio bearer.

[0165] In one possible implementation, the transceiver 505 and the transceiver unit 7013 are further configured to receive first indication information from the target base station, the first indication information being used to indicate that the first configuration is reserved.

[0166] In one possible implementation, the transceiver 505 and the transceiver unit 7013 are further configured to receive security configuration from the target base station.

[0167] In one possible implementation, the transceiver 505 and the transceiver unit 7013 are further configured to receive security configuration from the target base station.

[0168] ​In a possible implementation, the transceiver 505 and the transceiving unit 7013 are further configured to receive second indication information from the terminal device, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the second configuration has been completed.

[0169] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 505 and the transceiving unit 7013 are further configured to send third indication information to the terminal device, where the third indication information is used to indicate to release the first configuration.

[0170] Figure 7 When the device in FIG. 5 is a network device, the processor 501 and the processing unit 7011 in FIG. 7 can be configured to implement the steps of the above method embodiments related to processing, for example, performing second configuration on the first radio bearer according to the second configuration information. ​

[0171] Those skilled in the art can appreciate that the units and steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or in 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.

[0172] 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 merely illustrative, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, the units shown as separate components can or can not be physically separate, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, i.e., they can be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. According to actual needs, part or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of the present embodiment.

[0173] ​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).

[0174] 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, the method being applied to handover of a terminal device from a source base station to a target base station, the source base station and the target base station having a common secondary base station, the terminal device using a first configuration to communicate with the secondary base station via a first radio bearer, characterized in that, The method further comprises: receiving second configuration information from a network side, performing second configuration on the first radio bearer according to the second configuration information, and reserving the first configuration; communicating with the secondary base station through the first radio bearer using the second configuration.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, characterized by, After communicating with the secondary base station through the first radio bearer using the second configuration, the method further comprises: releasing the first configuration.

3. The communication method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by, The second configuration information comprises at least one of radio link control (RLC) layer configuration, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer configuration, and security configuration.

4. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized by, The second configuration information further comprises first indication information for indicating to reserve the first configuration.

5. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized by, The second configuration information is carried in signaling radio bearer (SRB) 3 from the secondary base station, or the second configuration information is carried in a handover command from the source base station.

6. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized by, The method further comprises: sending second indication information to the secondary base station, the second indication information being used for indicating that the second configuration has been completed.

7. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized by, The method further comprises: receiving third indication information from the secondary base station or from the target base station, the third indication information being used for indicating to release the first configuration.

8. The communication method of any of claims 1-2, wherein the first configuration comprises a first PDCP entity and a first RLC entity, and the first PDCP entity, the first RLC entity, and a first security configuration are associated with each other; the performing second configuration on the first radio bearer according to the second configuration information comprises: reconfiguring the first PDCP entity, establishing a second RLC entity, and performing second security configuration according to the second configuration information, and the first PDCP entity, the second RLC entity, and the second security configuration are associated with each other.

9. A communication method, the method being applied to a secondary base station, the secondary base station communicating with a terminal device through a first radio bearer of a first configuration, the terminal device being handed over from a source base station to a target base station, the source base station and the target base station having the secondary base station in common, characterized in that, The method further comprises: receiving secondary base station indication information, the secondary base station indication information being used for indicating that the secondary base station is a secondary base station of a target base station; sending second configuration information to the terminal device, the second configuration information being used for performing second configuration on the first radio bearer and indicating to the terminal device to reserve the first configuration.

10. The communication method according to claim 9, wherein, The secondary base station communicating with the terminal device through the first radio bearer comprises: communicating with the terminal device through the first radio bearer using the first configuration.

11. The communication method according to any one of claims 9 or 10, characterized by, The method further comprises: receiving security configuration from the target base station.

12. The communication method of any of claims 9-10, wherein the second configuration information comprises at least one of radio link control (RLC) layer configuration, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer configuration, and security configuration.

13. The communication method according to any one of claims 9 to 10, characterized by, The second configuration information further comprises first indication information for indicating to reserve the first configuration.

14. The communication method according to any one of claims 9 to 10, wherein, The second configuration information is carried in signaling radio bearer (SRB) 3 from the secondary base station, or the second configuration information is carried in a handover command from the source base station.

15. The communication method according to any one of claims 9 to 10, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving second indication information from the terminal device, the second indication information being used for indicating that the second configuration has been completed.

16. The communication method according to any one of claims 9 to 10, wherein, The method further comprises: The third indication information is used for instructing to release the first configuration. 17.A communication device, which switches from a source base station to a target base station, the source base station and the target base station having a common secondary base station, the device comprising a transceiver module and a processing module, the transceiver module being configured to communicate with the secondary base station through a first radio bearer configured with a first configuration, characterized in that, the transceiver module is further configured to receive second configuration information from a network side; the processing module is configured to configure the first radio bearer with the second configuration information, and retain the first configuration; the transceiver module is further configured to communicate with the secondary base station through the first radio bearer configured with the second configuration.

18. The communication apparatus according to claim 17, wherein After the communication with the secondary base station through the first radio bearer configured with the second configuration, the processing module is further configured to release the first configuration.

19. The communication apparatus according to claim 17 or 18, wherein, The second configuration information comprises at least one of radio link control (RLC) layer configuration, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer configuration and security configuration.

20. The communication apparatus according to any one of claims 17-18, wherein, The second configuration information further comprises first indication information, the first indication information being used for instructing to retain the first configuration.

21. The communication apparatus according to any one of claims 17-18, wherein, The second configuration information is carried in a signaling radio bearer (SRB) 3 from the secondary base station, or the second configuration information is carried in a handover command from the source base station. 22.The communication device of any of claims 17-18, characterized in that, the transceiver module is further configured to send second indication information to the secondary base station, the second indication information being used for instructing that the second configuration has been completed. 23.The communication device of any of claims 17-18, characterized in that, the transceiver module is further configured to receive third indication information from the secondary base station or from the target base station, the third indication information being used for instructing to release the first configuration. 24.The communication device of any of claims 17-18, characterized in that, the first configuration comprises a first PDCP entity and a first RLC entity, the first PDCP entity, the first RLC entity and a first security configuration being associated with each other; the configuring the first radio bearer with the second configuration information comprises: reconfiguring the first PDCP entity, establishing a second RLC entity and performing a second security configuration according to the second configuration information, the first PDCP entity, the second RLC entity and the second security configuration being associated with each other. 25.A communication device, comprising a transceiver module and a processing module, the transceiver module being configured to communicate with a terminal device through a first radio bearer configured with a first configuration, the terminal device switching from a source base station to a target base station, the source base station and the target base station having a common secondary base station, characterized in that, the transceiver module is further configured to receive secondary base station indication information, the secondary base station indication information being used for instructing that the secondary base station is a secondary base station of the target base station; the transceiver module is further configured to send second configuration information to the terminal device; The processing module is configured to perform a second configuration on the first radio bearer according to the second configuration information, and instruct the terminal device to retain the first configuration.

26. The communication apparatus according to claim 25, wherein, The transceiving module is configured to communicate with the terminal device via the first radio bearer, including: communicating with the terminal device via the first radio bearer using the first configuration.

27. The communication apparatus according to any one of claims 25 or 26, wherein, The transceiving module is further configured to receive the security configuration from the target base station.

28. The communication apparatus according to any one of claims 25-26, wherein, The second configuration information comprises at least one of a radio link control (RLC) layer configuration, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer configuration, and a security configuration.

29. The communication apparatus according to any one of claims 25-26, wherein, The second configuration information further comprises first indication information, the first indication information being used to instruct to retain the first configuration.

30. The communications apparatus of any one of claims 25-26, wherein, The second configuration information is carried in a signaling radio bearer (SRB3) from the secondary base station, or the second configuration information is carried in a handover command from the source base station.

31. The communications apparatus of any of claims 25-26, wherein, The transceiving module is further configured to receive second indication information from the terminal device, the second indication information being used to instruct that the second configuration has been completed.

32. The communications apparatus of any one of claims 25-26, wherein, The transceiving module is further configured to send third indication information to the terminal device, the third indication information being used to instruct to release the first configuration.

33. A communications device, characterized by A processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store one or more computer programs, when the one or more computer programs are executed, the method according to any one of claims 1-8 is performed.

34. A communications device, characterized by A processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store one or more computer programs, when the one or more computer programs are executed, the method according to any one of claims 9-16 is performed.

35. A communication system comprising a terminal device and a secondary base station, the source base station and the target base station having the secondary base station in common, the terminal device being handed over from the source base station to the target base station, characterized in that, The terminal device is configured to implement the communication method according to any one of claims 1-8; The secondary base station is configured to implement the communication method according to any one of claims 9-16.

36. A computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-8.

37. A computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 9-16.

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