Communication method, apparatus, storage medium, network device, and terminal device

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and particularly relates to a communication method, device, storage medium and electronic equipment. The communication method comprises: sending a link switching duration acquisition request to a terminal device; receiving a first link switching duration and a carrier switching duration returned by the terminal device according to the link switching duration acquisition request; determining a second link switching duration and a carrier switching position according to the first link switching duration and the carrier switching duration; returning the second link switching duration and the carrier switching position to the terminal device, so that the terminal device switches a current carrier from a first carrier or a second carrier to the second carrier or the first carrier at the carrier switching position within the second link switching duration; wherein the current carrier is any one of the first carrier and the second carrier, and an uplink-downlink time slot ratio of the first carrier is opposite to that of the second carrier. The present disclosure can improve user experience and enhance network performance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, apparatus, storage medium, network device, and terminal device. Background Technology

[0002] Time Division Duplexing (TDD) refers to a communication method where the transmitting and receiving channels share the same radio frequency, while the uplink and downlink use different time slots for communication, with a guard interval between adjacent time slots.

[0003] Currently, network communication in the 3.5GHz, 2.6GHz, and 4.9GHz frequency bands uses TDD (Time-of-Depth) technology. When using TDD, the uplink and downlink share the same radio frequency, resulting in good frequency consistency and high frequency resource utilization. Furthermore, TDD allows for flexible configuration of the frequencies occupied by different time slots in the uplink and downlink by adjusting the uplink / downlink time slot ratio. This gives TDD the advantages of continuous spectrum and large bandwidth, supporting asymmetric and high-bandwidth services, making it suitable for hotspot coverage scenarios, and reducing equipment complexity, effectively lowering costs.

[0004] However, when using TDD for network communication, the uplink and downlink use different time slots for communication, resulting in a larger latency and thus affecting the user experience. Furthermore, it is difficult to meet the high-speed data communication requirements of both uplink and downlink simultaneously, which in turn affects network performance and leads to lower communication efficiency.

[0005] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the background section above is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of this disclosure, and therefore may include information that does not constitute prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide a communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and electronic device, thereby at least to some extent overcoming the problem of large network communication latency caused by the limitations and defects of related technologies, which affects user experience and network performance, making it difficult to simultaneously meet the needs of high-speed uplink and downlink data communication, thus affecting network performance.

[0007] Other features and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, or may be learned in part from practice of this disclosure.

[0008] According to a first aspect of this disclosure, a communication method is provided, applied to a network device, comprising:

[0009] Send a link switching duration acquisition request to the terminal device;

[0010] The terminal device receives the first link switching duration and carrier switching duration returned by the request based on the link switching duration;

[0011] The second link switching duration and the carrier switching position are determined based on the first link switching duration and the carrier switching duration.

[0012] The terminal device is returned the second link switching duration and carrier switching position so that the terminal device can switch the current carrier from the first carrier or the second carrier to the second carrier or the first carrier at the carrier switching position within the second link switching duration; wherein the current carrier is either the first carrier or the second carrier, and the uplink and downlink time slot ratios of the first carrier and the second carrier are opposite.

[0013] In an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, determining the second link switching duration and carrier switching position based on the first link switching duration and the carrier switching duration includes:

[0014] Obtain the uplink and downlink time slot ratio of the first carrier or the uplink and downlink time slot ratio of the second carrier, the cyclic prefix (CP) duration, and the subcarrier spacing (SCS);

[0015] The second link handover duration is determined based on the uplink / downlink time slot ratio of the first carrier or the uplink / downlink time slot ratio of the second carrier, the CP duration, and the SCS.

[0016] The carrier switching position is determined based on the second link switching duration and the carrier switching duration.

[0017] In an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, determining the second link handover duration based on the uplink / downlink time slot ratio of the first carrier or the uplink / downlink time slot ratio of the second carrier, the CP duration, and the SCS includes:

[0018] Obtain the uplink / downlink time slot ratio of the first carrier or the uplink / downlink time slot ratio of the second carrier corresponding to the third link handover duration;

[0019] Determine the subcarrier interval duration corresponding to the SCS;

[0020] The maximum value among the CP duration, the subcarrier interval duration, and the third link switching duration is taken as the second link switching duration.

[0021] In an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, determining the carrier switching position based on the second link switching duration and the carrier switching duration includes:

[0022] Obtain the time difference between the second link switching duration and the carrier switching duration;

[0023] The carrier switching position is defined as any point in time within the preceding phase difference within the second link switching duration.

[0024] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0025] When the time slot of the first carrier is in the downlink time slot, a mixed Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback information of downlink data of the first carrier and uplink data of the second carrier is sent to the terminal device.

[0026] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0027] When the time slot of the second carrier is in the downlink time slot, HARQ feedback information of the downlink data of the second carrier and the uplink data of the first carrier is sent to the terminal device.

[0028] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0029] When the time slot of the first carrier is in the uplink time slot, the terminal device receives HARQ feedback information of the uplink data of the first carrier and the downlink data of the second carrier.

[0030] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0031] When the time slot of the second carrier is in the uplink time slot, the terminal device receives HARQ feedback information of the uplink data of the second carrier and the downlink data of the first carrier.

[0032] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, a communication method is provided, applied to a terminal device, comprising:

[0033] Receive a link switching duration acquisition request sent by the network device;

[0034] The network device returns a first link switching duration and a carrier switching duration to the network device according to the link switching duration acquisition request, so that the network device can determine a second link switching duration and a carrier switching position based on the first link switching duration and the carrier switching duration.

[0035] Receive the second link switching duration and carrier switching location returned by the network device;

[0036] At the carrier switching position within the second link switching duration, the current carrier is switched from the first carrier or the second carrier to the second carrier or the first carrier; wherein, the current carrier is either the first carrier or the second carrier, and the uplink and downlink time slot ratios of the first carrier and the second carrier are opposite.

[0037] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0038] When the time slot of the first carrier is in the downlink time slot, the network device receives the downlink data of the first carrier and the uplink data of the second carrier, as well as the HARQ feedback information.

[0039] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0040] When the time slot of the second carrier is in the downlink time slot, the network device receives the downlink data of the second carrier and the uplink data of the first carrier, as well as the HARQ feedback information.

[0041] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0042] When the time slot of the first carrier is in the uplink time slot, HARQ feedback information of the uplink data of the first carrier and the downlink data of the second carrier is sent to the network device.

[0043] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0044] When the time slot of the second carrier is in the uplink time slot, HARQ feedback information of the uplink data of the second carrier and the downlink data of the first carrier is sent to the network device.

[0045] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0046] When the first carrier / second carrier switches from the downlink time slot to the uplink time slot, the downlink service is switched from the first carrier / second carrier to the second carrier / first carrier.

[0047] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0048] When the first carrier / second carrier switches from the uplink time slot to the downlink time slot, the uplink service is switched from the first carrier / second carrier to the second carrier / first carrier.

[0049] According to a third aspect of this disclosure, a communication apparatus is provided for use in a network device, comprising:

[0050] The link handover duration acquisition request sending module is used to send a link handover duration acquisition request to the terminal device;

[0051] The first link handover duration receiving module is used to receive the first link handover duration and carrier handover duration returned by the terminal device according to the link handover duration acquisition request.

[0052] The second link switching duration determination module is used to determine the second link switching duration and carrier switching position based on the first link switching duration and carrier switching duration.

[0053] The second link switching duration sending module is used to return the second link switching duration and carrier switching position to the terminal device, so that the terminal device can switch the current carrier from the first carrier or the second carrier to the second carrier or the first carrier at the carrier switching position within the second link switching duration; wherein, the current carrier is either the first carrier or the second carrier, and the uplink and downlink time slot ratios of the first carrier and the second carrier are opposite.

[0054] According to a fourth aspect of this disclosure, a communication apparatus is provided for use in a terminal device, comprising:

[0055] The link handover duration acquisition request receiving module is used to receive link handover duration acquisition requests sent by network devices;

[0056] The first link switching duration sending module is used to return the first link switching duration and the carrier switching duration to the network device according to the link switching duration acquisition request, so that the network device can determine the second link switching duration and the carrier switching position according to the first link switching duration and the carrier switching duration.

[0057] The second link handover duration receiving module is used to receive the second link handover duration and carrier handover position returned by the network device;

[0058] The carrier switching module is used to switch the current carrier from the first carrier or the second carrier to the second carrier or the first carrier at the carrier switching position within the second link switching duration; wherein the current carrier is any one of the first carrier and the second carrier, and the uplink and downlink time slot ratios of the first carrier and the second carrier are opposite.

[0059] According to a fifth aspect of this disclosure, a network device is provided, comprising:

[0060] Processor; and

[0061] Memory for storing the executable instructions of the processor;

[0062] The processor is configured to execute the communication method described in any one of the first aspects by executing the executable instructions.

[0063] According to a sixth aspect of this disclosure, a terminal device is provided, comprising:

[0064] Processor; and

[0065] Memory for storing the executable instructions of the processor;

[0066] The processor is configured to execute the communication method described in any one of the second aspects by executing the executable instructions.

[0067] According to a seventh aspect of this disclosure, a storage medium is provided having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements a communication method as described in any one of the first or second aspects.

[0068] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this disclosure may include the following beneficial effects:

[0069] In summary, the method provided in this disclosure determines the second link switching duration and carrier switching position based on the first link switching duration and carrier switching duration, and returns the second link switching duration and carrier switching position to the terminal device. This allows the terminal device to switch the first carrier and the second carrier with opposite uplink and downlink time slot ratios at the carrier switching position within the second link switching duration. This enables simultaneous uplink and downlink data transmission via dual carriers with opposite uplink and downlink time slot ratios, thereby reducing network communication latency and improving user experience. Furthermore, it can simultaneously meet the high-speed uplink and downlink data communication requirements, improve network performance, and ultimately enhance communication efficiency.

[0070] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0071] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this disclosure, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort.

[0072] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a communication method in an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is shown schematically.

[0073] Figure 2A schematic diagram illustrating the uplink and downlink time slots of the first and second carriers in an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0074] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating the second link switching duration in an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0075] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating another communication method in an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is shown schematically;

[0076] Figure 5 A signaling interaction diagram of a communication method in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown;

[0077] Figure 6 A block diagram of a communication device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown schematically;

[0078] Figure 7 A block diagram of another communication device in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown schematically;

[0079] Figure 8 A block diagram of a server is schematically shown in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0080] Figure 9 A block diagram of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown schematically.

[0081] In the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts. Detailed Implementation

[0082] The principles and spirit of the invention will now be described with reference to several exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are given merely to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and implement the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make this disclosure more thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0083] Those skilled in the art will recognize that embodiments of the present invention can be implemented as a system, apparatus, device, method, or computer program product. Therefore, this disclosure can be specifically implemented in the following forms: entirely hardware, entirely software (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or a combination of hardware and software.

[0084] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, a communication method is first provided. (See reference...) Figure 1 As shown, the communication method may include the following steps:

[0085] S11. Send a link switching duration acquisition request to the terminal device;

[0086] S12. Receive the first link switching duration and carrier switching duration returned by the terminal device according to the link switching duration acquisition request;

[0087] S13. Determine the second link switching duration and carrier switching position based on the first link switching duration and carrier switching duration;

[0088] S14. Return the second link switching duration and carrier switching position to the terminal device so that the terminal device can switch the current carrier from the first carrier or the second carrier to the second carrier or the first carrier at the carrier switching position within the second link switching duration; wherein, the current carrier is any one of the first carrier and the second carrier, and the uplink and downlink time slot ratio of the first carrier is opposite to that of the second carrier.

[0089] In summary, the method provided in this disclosure determines the second link switching duration and carrier switching position based on the first link switching duration and carrier switching duration, and returns the second link switching duration and carrier switching position to the terminal device. This allows the terminal device to switch the first carrier and the second carrier with opposite uplink and downlink time slot ratios at the carrier switching position within the second link switching duration. This enables simultaneous uplink and downlink data transmission via dual carriers with opposite uplink and downlink time slot ratios, thereby reducing network communication latency and improving user experience. Furthermore, it can simultaneously meet the high-speed uplink and downlink data communication requirements, improve network performance, and ultimately enhance communication efficiency.

[0090] The following will describe in more detail the various steps of the communication method in this exemplary embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0091] In step S11, a link switching duration acquisition request is sent to the terminal device.

[0092] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the network device may send a link handover duration acquisition request to the terminal device to obtain the first link handover duration and the carrier handover duration of the terminal device. The link handover duration is the time required to switch from uplink / downlink to downlink / uplink. The carrier handover duration refers to the time required to switch from the first carrier / second carrier of a dual-carrier system to the second carrier / first carrier.

[0093] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the uplink and downlink time slot ratios of the first and second carriers in the dual-carrier configuration are opposite. For example, when the uplink and downlink time slot ratio of the first carrier is m:n, the uplink and downlink time slot ratio of the second carrier is n:m, where m and n are both positive integers. Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating the uplink and downlink time slots of the first and second carriers in an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 2 As shown, the uplink / downlink time slot ratio of the first carrier is 3:2, i.e., 2D3U. The uplink / downlink time slot ratio of the second carrier is 2:3, i.e., 2U3D.

[0094] In step S12, the terminal device receives the first link switching duration and carrier switching duration returned by the request based on the link switching duration.

[0095] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the first link switching duration is the link switching duration of the terminal device, which is determined by the hardware configuration of the terminal device.

[0096] In step S13, the second link switching duration and carrier switching position are determined based on the first link switching duration and the carrier switching duration.

[0097] Based on the above, in an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the second link switching duration and carrier switching position are determined according to the first link switching duration and the carrier switching duration:

[0098] S131. Obtain the uplink / downlink time slot ratio of the first carrier / the uplink / downlink time slot ratio of the second carrier, the cyclic prefix (CP) duration, and the sub-carrier space (SCS).

[0099] A cyclic prefix (CP) is constructed by copying the signal from the tail of an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol to the head. There are two main lengths for CPs: normal cyclic prefix and extended cyclic prefix. The normal cyclic prefix is ​​4.7 μs long, and the extended cyclic prefix is ​​16.67 μs long. The cyclic prefix can be correlated with other multipath component information to obtain complete information. Furthermore, the cyclic prefix can be used for time prediction and frequency synchronization.

[0100] S132. Determine the second link handover duration based on the uplink / downlink time slot ratio of the first carrier or the uplink / downlink time slot ratio of the second carrier, the CP duration, and the SCS.

[0101] Based on the above, in an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, determining the second link switching duration according to the uplink / downlink time slot ratio of the first carrier or the uplink / downlink time slot ratio of the second carrier, the CP duration, the SCS, the first link switching duration, and the carrier switching duration includes:

[0102] Obtain the uplink / downlink time slot ratio of the first carrier or the uplink / downlink time slot ratio of the second carrier, and the third link switching duration corresponding to the SCS; determine the subcarrier interval duration corresponding to the SCS; and take the maximum value among the CP duration, the subcarrier interval duration, and the third link switching duration as the second link switching duration.

[0103] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the uplink / downlink time slot ratio of the first carrier or the second carrier is different, and the guard interval time of adjacent time slots is different. Therefore, after obtaining the uplink / downlink time slot ratio of the first carrier or the second carrier, the guard interval time corresponding to the uplink / downlink time slot ratio of the first carrier or the second carrier is determined, and this guard interval time is then used as the third link switching duration. In one embodiment of this disclosure, the unit of SCS is frequency (Hz), and the period duration corresponding to SCS is the subcarrier interval duration. For example, when SCS is 15kHz, the period duration corresponding to SCS is 1 / 15kHz, i.e., 0.0667ms. The period duration of CS, 0.0667ms, is the subcarrier interval duration.

[0104] Furthermore, after obtaining the subcarrier interval duration and the third link switching duration, the maximum value among the subcarrier interval duration, the third link switching duration, and the CP duration is taken as the second link switching duration. Since the maximum value among the subcarrier interval duration, the third link switching duration, and the CP duration is the fastest link switching duration that the network device can support, using the subcarrier interval duration, the third link switching duration, and the CP duration as the second link switching duration can avoid communication anomalies caused by excessively short link switching durations and improve network communication performance.

[0105] S133. Determine the carrier switching position based on the second link switching duration and the carrier switching duration.

[0106] Based on the above, in one embodiment of this disclosure, determining the second link handover duration based on the CP, the SCS, the first link handover duration, and the carrier handover duration includes:

[0107] Obtain the time difference between the second link switching duration and the carrier switching duration; take any time point within the time difference before the second link switching duration as the carrier switching position.

[0108] For example, Figure 3 As shown, the second link switching duration is 60ms, meaning the carrier switching duration is 20ms. Therefore, the difference between the second link switching duration and the carrier switching duration is 40ms. Furthermore, any point within the first 40m of the second link switching duration of 60ms can be considered as the carrier switching position.

[0109] Based on the above, in one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0110] S135. When the time slot of the first carrier is in the downlink time slot, send a mixed automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback information of the downlink data of the first carrier and the uplink data of the second carrier to the terminal device.

[0111] Based on the above, in one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0112] S136. When the time slot of the second carrier is in the downlink time slot, send the downlink data of the second carrier and the HARQ feedback information of the uplink data of the first carrier to the terminal device.

[0113] By sending not only downlink data of the first carrier / second carrier to the terminal device when the time slot of the first carrier / second carrier is in the downlink time slot, but also sending uplink data HARQ feedback information of the second carrier / first carrier to the terminal device, the downlink HARQ feedback latency of TDD can be greatly reduced.

[0114] Based on the above, in one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0115] S137. When the time slot of the first carrier is located in the uplink time slot, receive HARQ feedback information of the uplink data of the first carrier and the downlink data of the second carrier sent by the terminal device.

[0116] Based on the above, in one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0117] S138. When the time slot of the second carrier is located in the uplink time slot, receive HARQ feedback information of the uplink data of the second carrier and the downlink data of the first carrier sent by the terminal device.

[0118] By sending HARQ feedback information of both the first carrier / second carrier uplink data and the second carrier downlink data when the time slot of the first carrier / second carrier is in the uplink time slot, the uplink HARQ feedback latency of TDD can be greatly reduced.

[0119] In summary, the method provided in this disclosure sets the uplink and downlink time slot ratios of the first and second carriers in a dual-carrier configuration to be opposite. Furthermore, when the time slot of the first carrier / second carrier is in the downlink time slot, it sends not only downlink data of the first carrier / second carrier to the terminal device but also HARQ feedback information of the uplink data of the second carrier / first carrier to the terminal device. This significantly reduces the downlink HARQ feedback latency in TDD dual-carrier configurations. Simultaneously, when the time slot of the first carrier / second carrier is in the uplink time slot, it sends not only uplink data of the first carrier / second carrier to the terminal device but also HARQ feedback information of the downlink data of the second carrier / first carrier to the terminal device. This significantly reduces the uplink HARQ feedback latency in TDD, enabling the method provided in this disclosure to transmit uplink and downlink data simultaneously, thereby reducing network communication latency and improving user experience. Moreover, it can simultaneously meet the high-speed uplink and downlink data communication requirements, improving network performance and ultimately enhancing communication efficiency.

[0120] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, reference is made to Figure 4 As shown, a communication method is provided that can be used in a terminal device, specifically, it may include:

[0121] S41. Receive a link switching duration acquisition request sent by the network device;

[0122] S42. Return the first link switching duration and carrier switching duration to the network device according to the link switching duration acquisition request, so that the network device can determine the second link switching duration and carrier switching position according to the first link switching duration and carrier switching duration;

[0123] S43. Receive the second link switching duration and carrier switching position returned by the network device;

[0124] S44. At the carrier switching position within the second link switching duration, the current carrier is switched from the first carrier or the second carrier to the second carrier or the first carrier; wherein, the current carrier is either the first carrier or the second carrier, and the uplink and downlink time slot ratio of the first carrier is opposite to that of the second carrier.

[0125] In summary, the method provided in this disclosure switches the first carrier and the second carrier with opposite uplink and downlink time slot ratios at the carrier switching position within the second link switching time. This allows for simultaneous uplink and downlink data transmission via dual carriers with opposite uplink and downlink time slot ratios, thereby reducing network communication latency and improving user experience. Furthermore, it can simultaneously meet the high-speed uplink and downlink data communication requirements, improve network performance, and ultimately enhance communication efficiency.

[0126] Based on the above, in one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0127] S45. When the time slot of the first carrier is located in the downlink time slot, receive the HARQ feedback information of the downlink data of the first carrier and the uplink data of the second carrier sent by the network device.

[0128] Based on the above, in one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0129] S46. When the time slot of the second carrier is located in the downlink time slot, receive the HARQ feedback information of the downlink data of the second carrier and the uplink data of the first carrier sent by the network device.

[0130] By receiving not only the downlink data of the first carrier / second carrier sent by the network device, but also the HARQ feedback information of the uplink data of the second carrier / first carrier sent by the network device when the time slot of the first carrier / second carrier is in the downlink time slot, the downlink HARQ feedback latency of TDD can be greatly reduced.

[0131] Based on the above, in one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0132] S47. When the time slot of the first carrier is in the uplink time slot, send HARQ feedback information of the uplink data of the first carrier and the downlink data of the second carrier to the network device.

[0133] Based on the above, in one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0134] S48. When the time slot of the second carrier is located in the uplink time slot, send the uplink data of the second carrier and the downlink data of the first carrier to the network device using HARQ feedback information.

[0135] By receiving HARQ feedback information of both the uplink data of the first carrier / second carrier and the downlink data of the second carrier / first carrier sent by the network device when the time slot of the first carrier / second carrier is in the uplink time slot, the uplink HARQ feedback latency of TDD can be greatly reduced.

[0136] Based on the above, in one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0137] S49. When the first carrier / second carrier switches from the downlink time slot to the uplink time slot, the downlink service is switched from the first carrier / second carrier to the second carrier / first carrier.

[0138] By switching downlink services from the first carrier / second carrier to the second carrier / first carrier when the first carrier / second carrier switches from the downlink time slot to the uplink time slot, the continuity, integrity, and timeliness of downlink services across all time slots can be ensured, thereby meeting the demand for large downlink services.

[0139] S50. Based on the above, in an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes:

[0140] When the first carrier / second carrier switches from the uplink time slot to the downlink time slot, the uplink service is switched from the first carrier / second carrier to the second carrier / first carrier.

[0141] By switching uplink services from the first carrier / second carrier to the second carrier / first carrier when the first carrier / second carrier switches from the uplink time slot to the downlink time slot, the continuity, integrity, and timeliness of uplink services across all time slots can be ensured, thereby meeting the demand for large uplink services.

[0142] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, reference is made to Figure 5As shown, for the network device, in step 501, a link handover duration acquisition request is sent to the terminal device; for the terminal device, in step 502, the link handover duration acquisition request sent by the network device is received; in step 503, a first link handover duration and a carrier handover duration are returned to the network device according to the link handover duration acquisition request; for the network device, in step 504, the first link handover duration and the carrier handover duration returned by the terminal device according to the link handover duration acquisition request are received; in step 505, the first link handover duration and the carrier handover duration are returned according to the link handover duration acquisition request. The second link switching duration and carrier switching position are determined. In step 506, the second link switching duration and carrier switching position are returned to the terminal device. For the terminal device, in step 507, the second link switching duration and carrier switching position returned by the network device are received. In step 508, at the carrier switching position within the second link switching duration, the current carrier is switched from the first carrier or the second carrier to the second carrier or the first carrier. Wherein, the current carrier is either the first carrier or the second carrier, and the uplink and downlink time slot ratio of the first carrier is opposite to that of the second carrier.

[0143] In summary, the method provided in this disclosure can utilize the opposite time slot ratio of TDD dual carriers to achieve full-duplex frequency division duplex functionality in the time domain. It only requires adjusting the uplink and downlink time slot ratio of the dual carriers to achieve flexible cross-carrier adjustment, which can endow the TDD spectrum with multi-functionality, improve the capacity and reliability of TDD system, significantly reduce TDD latency, and take into account the three major capabilities of large bandwidth, low latency and high reliability. It can simultaneously meet the needs of large uplink and downlink services for users and enterprises, and improve spectrum efficiency and user experience.

[0144] It should be noted that the above figures are merely illustrative of the processes included in the method according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to be limiting. It is readily understood that the processes shown in the above figures do not indicate or limit the temporal order of these processes. Furthermore, it is readily understood that these processes may, for example, be executed synchronously or asynchronously in multiple modules.

[0145] Further reference Figure 6 As shown, this example embodiment also provides a communication device 60, which can be configured in a network device. The device includes: a link switching duration acquisition request sending module 601, a first link switching duration receiving module 602, a second link switching duration determination module 603, and a second link switching duration sending module 604. Wherein,

[0146] The link switching duration acquisition request sending module 601 is used to send a link switching duration acquisition request to the terminal device;

[0147] The first link switching duration receiving module 602 is used to receive the first link switching duration and carrier switching duration returned by the terminal device according to the link switching duration acquisition request;

[0148] The second link switching duration determination module 603 is used to determine the second link switching duration and the carrier switching position based on the first link switching duration and the carrier switching duration.

[0149] The second link switching duration sending module 604 is used to return the second link switching duration and carrier switching position to the terminal device, so that the terminal device can switch the current carrier from the first carrier or the second carrier to the second carrier or the first carrier at the carrier switching position within the second link switching duration; wherein, the current carrier is either the first carrier or the second carrier, and the uplink and downlink time slot ratios of the first carrier and the second carrier are opposite.

[0150] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the second link switching duration determination module includes:

[0151] The cyclic prefix duration acquisition unit is used to acquire the uplink and downlink time slot ratio of the first carrier or the uplink and downlink time slot ratio of the second carrier, the cyclic prefix CP duration, and the subcarrier spacing SCS.

[0152] The second link handover duration determination unit is used to determine the second link handover duration based on the uplink / downlink time slot ratio of the first carrier or the time slot ratio of the second carrier, the CP duration, and the SCS.

[0153] A carrier switching location determination unit is used to determine the carrier switching location based on the second link switching duration and the carrier switching duration.

[0154] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the second link switching duration determination unit includes:

[0155] The third link switching duration acquisition unit is used to acquire the uplink and downlink time slot ratio of the first carrier or the uplink and downlink time slot ratio of the second carrier corresponding to the third link switching duration.

[0156] Subcarrier interval duration determination unit, used to determine the subcarrier interval duration corresponding to the SCS;

[0157] The second link switching duration acquisition unit is used to take the maximum value among the CP duration, the subcarrier interval duration and the third link switching duration as the second link switching duration.

[0158] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the carrier switching position determination unit includes:

[0159] The phase difference duration acquisition unit is used to acquire the phase difference duration between the second link switching duration and the carrier switching duration;

[0160] The carrier switching position acquisition unit is used to take any time point within the preceding phase difference time within the second link switching time as the carrier switching position.

[0161] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the apparatus further includes:

[0162] The first downlink data transmission module is used to send a mixed Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback information of downlink data of the first carrier and uplink data of the second carrier to the terminal device when the time slot of the first carrier is located in the downlink time slot.

[0163] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the apparatus further includes:

[0164] The second downlink data transmission module is used to transmit downlink data of the second carrier and HARQ feedback information of uplink data of the first carrier to the terminal device when the time slot of the second carrier is in the downlink time slot.

[0165] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the apparatus further includes:

[0166] The first uplink data transmission module is used to receive HARQ feedback information of uplink data of the first carrier and downlink data of the second carrier transmitted by the terminal device when the time slot of the first carrier is located in the uplink time slot.

[0167] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the apparatus further includes:

[0168] The second uplink data transmission module is used to receive HARQ feedback information of uplink data of the second carrier and downlink data of the first carrier transmitted by the terminal device when the time slot of the second carrier is located in the uplink time slot.

[0169] Further reference Figure 7 As shown, this example embodiment also provides a communication device 70, which can be configured in a terminal device. The device includes: a link switching duration acquisition request receiving module 701, a first link switching duration sending module 702, a second link switching duration receiving module 703, and a carrier switching module 704. Wherein,

[0170] The link switching duration acquisition request receiving module 701 is used to receive the link switching duration acquisition request sent by the network device;

[0171] The first link switching duration sending module 702 is used to return the first link switching duration and the carrier switching duration to the network device according to the link switching duration acquisition request, so that the network device can determine the second link switching duration and the carrier switching position according to the first link switching duration and the carrier switching duration.

[0172] The second link switching duration receiving module 703 is used to receive the second link switching duration and carrier switching position returned by the network device;

[0173] The carrier switching module 704 is used to switch the current carrier from the first carrier or the second carrier to the second carrier or the first carrier at the carrier switching position within the second link switching duration; wherein the current carrier is any one of the first carrier and the second carrier, and the uplink and downlink time slot ratio of the first carrier is opposite to that of the second carrier.

[0174] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the apparatus further includes:

[0175] The first downlink data receiving module is configured to receive HARQ feedback information of the downlink data of the first carrier and the uplink data of the second carrier sent by the network device when the time slot of the first carrier is located in the downlink time slot.

[0176] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the apparatus further includes:

[0177] The second downlink data receiving module is used to receive downlink data of the second carrier and HARQ feedback information of uplink data of the first carrier sent by the network device when the time slot of the second carrier is in the downlink time slot.

[0178] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the apparatus further includes:

[0179] The first uplink data transmission module is used to transmit HARQ feedback information of the uplink data of the first carrier and the downlink data of the second carrier to the network device when the time slot of the first carrier is located in the uplink time slot.

[0180] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the apparatus further includes:

[0181] The second uplink data transmission module is used to transmit HARQ feedback information of the uplink data of the second carrier and the downlink data of the first carrier to the network device when the time slot of the second carrier is located in the uplink time slot.

[0182] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the apparatus further includes:

[0183] The downlink service switching module is used to switch downlink services from the first carrier / second carrier to the second carrier / first carrier when the first carrier / second carrier switches from the downlink time slot to the uplink time slot.

[0184] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the apparatus further includes:

[0185] The uplink service switching module is used to switch the uplink service from the first carrier / second carrier to the second carrier / first carrier when the first carrier / second carrier switches from the uplink time slot to the downlink time slot.

[0186] Since the functional modules of the communication device in the embodiments of the present invention are the same as those in the embodiments of the communication method described above, they will not be described again here.

[0187] Further reference Figure 8 As shown, in one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, a network device 80 is also provided, including: a processor 801; and a memory 802 for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to execute the communication method applied to the network device described in the above embodiments by executing the executable instructions.

[0188] The specific details of each module in the aforementioned communication device 60, communication device 70, and communication equipment 80 have been described in detail in the corresponding communication methods, and therefore will not be repeated here.

[0189] It should be noted that although several modules or units for the device used to perform actions have been mentioned in the detailed description above, this division is not mandatory. In fact, according to embodiments of this disclosure, the features and functions of two or more modules or units described above can be embodied in one module or unit. Conversely, the features and functions of one module or unit described above can be further divided and embodied by multiple modules or units.

[0190] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of a terminal device suitable for implementing embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0191] It should be noted that, Figure 9 The terminal device 90 shown is merely an example and should not impose any limitation on the functionality and scope of use of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0192] like Figure 9As shown, the terminal device 90 includes a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 901, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes based on programs stored in Read-Only Memory (ROM) 902 or programs loaded from storage section 908 into Random Access Memory (RAM) 903. The RAM 903 also stores various programs and data required for system operation. The CPU 901, ROM 902, and RAM 903 are interconnected via a bus 904. An Input / Output (I / O) interface 905 is also connected to the bus 904.

[0193] The following components are connected to I / O interface 905: an input section 906 including a keyboard, mouse, etc.; an output section 907 including a cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), etc., and speakers, etc.; a storage section 908 including a hard disk, etc.; and a communication section 909 including a network interface card such as a LAN (Local Area Network) card, modem, etc. The communication section 909 performs communication processing via a network such as the Internet. A drive 910 is also connected to I / O interface 905 as needed. Removable media 911, such as a disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, semiconductor memory, etc., are installed on drive 910 as needed so that computer programs read from them can be installed into storage section 908 as needed.

[0194] In particular, according to embodiments of the present invention, the processes described below with reference to the flowcharts can be implemented as computer software programs. For example, embodiments of the present invention include a computer program product comprising a computer program carried on a computer-readable medium, the computer program containing program code for performing the methods shown in the flowcharts. In such embodiments, the computer program can be downloaded and installed from a network via communication section 909, and / or installed from removable medium 911. When the computer program is executed by central processing unit (CPU) 901, it performs various functions defined in the system of this application.

[0195] Specifically, the aforementioned terminal devices can be smart mobile terminal devices such as mobile phones, tablets, or laptops. Alternatively, the aforementioned terminal devices can also be smart terminal devices such as desktop computers.

[0196] It should be noted that the computer-readable medium shown in the embodiments of the present invention may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium, or any combination thereof. The computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination thereof.

[0197] More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to: electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, optical fiber, portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0198] In this invention, a computer-readable storage medium can be any tangible medium containing or storing a program that can be used by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. In this invention, a computer-readable signal medium can include a data signal propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, carrying computer-readable program code. Such propagated data signals can take various forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer-readable signal medium can also be any computer-readable medium other than a computer-readable storage medium, which can send, propagate, or transmit a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The program code contained on the computer-readable medium can be transmitted using any suitable medium, including but not limited to wireless, wired, etc., or any suitable combination thereof.

[0199] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of code containing one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions indicated in the blocks may occur in a different order than those indicated in the drawings. For example, two consecutively indicated blocks may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in a block diagram or flowchart, and combinations of blocks in a block diagram or flowchart, may be implemented using a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or operation, or using a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0200] The units described in the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in software or hardware, and the described units can also be located in a processor. The names of these units do not necessarily limit the specific unit itself.

[0201] It should be noted that, as another aspect, this application also provides a computer-readable medium, which may be included in an electronic device or may exist independently without being assembled into the electronic device. The aforementioned computer-readable medium carries one or more programs, which, when executed by an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the methods described in the following embodiments. For example, the electronic device may perform... Figure 4 The steps shown.

[0202] Furthermore, the above figures are merely illustrative of the processes included in the method according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to be limiting. It is readily understood that the processes shown in the above figures do not indicate or limit the temporal order of these processes. Additionally, it is readily understood that these processes may be executed synchronously or asynchronously, for example, in multiple modules.

[0203] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and embodiments are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the claims.

[0204] It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the precise structures described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The application is applied to a network device, comprising: sending a link switching duration acquisition request to a terminal device; wherein the link switching duration is used to represent a duration required for switching an uplink / downlink to a downlink / uplink; receiving a first link switching duration and a carrier switching duration returned by the terminal device according to the link switching duration acquisition request; determining a second link switching duration and a carrier switching position according to the first link switching duration and the carrier switching duration; returning the second link switching duration and the carrier switching position to the terminal device, so that the terminal device switches a current carrier from a first carrier or a second carrier to the second carrier or the first carrier at the carrier switching position within the second link switching duration; wherein the current carrier is any one of the first carrier and the second carrier, and an uplink / downlink time slot allocation ratio of the first carrier is opposite to that of the second carrier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The determination of the second link switching duration and the carrier switching position according to the first link switching duration and the carrier switching duration comprises: acquiring an uplink / downlink time slot allocation ratio of the first carrier or an uplink / downlink time slot allocation ratio of the second carrier, a cyclic prefix (CP) duration and a subcarrier spacing (SCS); determining the second link switching duration according to the uplink / downlink time slot allocation ratio of the first carrier or the uplink / downlink time slot allocation ratio of the second carrier, the CP duration and the SCS; determining the carrier switching position according to the second link switching duration and the carrier switching duration.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The determination of the second link switching duration according to the uplink / downlink time slot allocation ratio of the first carrier or the uplink / downlink time slot allocation ratio of the second carrier, the CP duration and the SCS comprises: acquiring a third link switching duration corresponding to the uplink / downlink time slot allocation ratio of the first carrier or the uplink / downlink time slot allocation ratio of the second carrier; determining a subcarrier spacing duration corresponding to the SCS; taking a maximum value among the CP duration, the subcarrier spacing duration and the third link switching duration as the second link switching duration.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein, The determination of the carrier switching position according to the second link switching duration and the carrier switching duration comprises: acquiring a difference duration between the second link switching duration and the carrier switching duration; taking any one time point within the second link switching duration and within the difference duration as the carrier switching position.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: when a time slot of the first carrier is a downlink time slot, sending hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback information of downlink data of the first carrier and uplink data of the second carrier to the terminal device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: when a time slot of the second carrier is a downlink time slot, sending HARQ feedback information of downlink data of the second carrier and uplink data of the first carrier to the terminal device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: when a time slot of the first carrier is an uplink time slot, receiving HARQ feedback information of uplink data of the first carrier and downlink data of the second carrier sent by the terminal device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: When a time slot of the second carrier is located in an uplink time slot, receiving HARQ feedback information of uplink data of the second carrier and downlink data of the first carrier sent by the terminal device.

9. A communication method characterized by comprising: Applied to a terminal device, comprising: Receiving a link switching duration acquisition request sent by a network device; wherein the link switching duration is used to represent a duration required for switching uplink / downlink to downlink / uplink; Returning a first link switching duration and a carrier switching duration to the network device according to the link switching duration acquisition request, so that the network device determines a second link switching duration and a carrier switching position according to the first link switching duration and the carrier switching duration; Receiving the second link switching duration and the carrier switching position returned by the network device; Switching a current carrier from a first carrier or a second carrier to a second carrier or a first carrier at a carrier switching position within the second link switching duration; wherein the current carrier is any one of the first carrier and the second carrier, and an uplink / downlink time slot ratio of the first carrier is opposite to that of the second carrier.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The method further comprises: When a time slot of the first carrier is located in a downlink time slot, receiving HARQ feedback information of downlink data of the first carrier and uplink data of the second carrier sent by the network device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein, The method further comprises: When a time slot of the second carrier is located in a downlink time slot, receiving HARQ feedback information of downlink data of the second carrier and uplink data of the first carrier sent by the network device.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein, The method further comprises: When a time slot of the first carrier is located in an uplink time slot, sending HARQ feedback information of uplink data of the first carrier and downlink data of the second carrier to the network device.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein, The method further comprises: When a time slot of the second carrier is located in an uplink time slot, sending HARQ feedback information of uplink data of the second carrier and downlink data of the first carrier to the network device.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein, The method further comprises: When the first carrier / second carrier is switched from a downlink time slot to an uplink time slot, switching downlink service from the first carrier / second carrier to the second carrier / first carrier.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein, The method further comprises: When the first carrier / second carrier is switched from an uplink time slot to a downlink time slot, switching uplink service from the first carrier / second carrier to the second carrier / first carrier.

16. A communications device, characterized by Applied to a network device, comprising: A link switching duration acquisition request sending module, configured to send a link switching duration acquisition request to a terminal device; wherein the link switching duration is used to represent a duration required for switching uplink / downlink to downlink / uplink; A first link switching duration receiving module, configured to receive a first link switching duration and a carrier switching duration returned by the terminal device according to the link switching duration acquisition request; A second link switching duration determining module, configured to determine a second link switching duration and a carrier switching position according to the first link switching duration and the carrier switching duration; The second link switching duration sending module is configured to return the second link switching duration and a carrier switching position to the terminal device, so that the terminal device switches a current carrier from the first carrier or the second carrier to the second carrier or the first carrier at the carrier switching position within the second link switching duration; the current carrier is any one of the first carrier and the second carrier, and the uplink-downlink time slot allocation of the first carrier is opposite to the uplink-downlink time slot allocation of the second carrier.

17. A communications device, characterized by The application is applied to a terminal device, and comprises: The link switching duration acquisition request receiving module is configured to receive a link switching duration acquisition request sent by a network device; the link switching duration is used to represent a duration required for switching an uplink / downlink to a downlink / uplink. The first link switching duration sending module is configured to return a first link switching duration and a carrier switching duration to the network device according to the link switching duration acquisition request, so that the network device determines a second link switching duration and a carrier switching position according to the first link switching duration and the carrier switching duration. The second link switching duration receiving module is configured to receive the second link switching duration and the carrier switching position returned by the network device. The carrier switching module is configured to switch the current carrier from the first carrier or the second carrier to the second carrier or the first carrier at the carrier switching position within the second link switching duration; the current carrier is any one of the first carrier and the second carrier, and the uplink-downlink time slot allocation of the first carrier is opposite to the uplink-downlink time slot allocation of the second carrier.

18. A network device, comprising: The application comprises: a processor; and a memory configured to store executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 via execution of the executable instructions.

19. A terminal device, comprising: The application comprises: a processor; and a memory configured to store executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 9 to 15 via execution of the executable instructions.

20. A storage medium having stored thereon a computer program, characterized in that The computer program is executed by the processor to implement the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 or 9 to 15.

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