A cell camping method and apparatus

Abstract

The application discloses a cell camping method and device, which is used for balancing network load among different cells and ensuring continuity of terminal device service. The method comprises the following steps: after a terminal device camps on a first cell, a network device can send a first message to the terminal device, the first message containing information of a second cell, the first cell corresponding to a first CC and the second cell corresponding to a second CC; after the terminal device receives a second message, the terminal device sends the second message to the network device, the second message can indicate the first cell and / or the second cell, or the second message can contain measurement information of the first cell and / or the second cell, and then the network device can determine, based on the second message, that the terminal device camps on the first cell or the second cell, so as to balance network load among different cells, and meanwhile, the whole process does not need the terminal device to return from an RRC connected state to an RRC idle state, and the continuity of terminal device service can be ensured.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

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

[0002] Currently, when a terminal device camps on a cell and enters a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connected state, a network device can release the terminal device to enter an RRC idle state, so that the terminal device selects a new cell to camp on in the RRC idle state. However, the terminal device will have a 90-130 millisecond interruption delay when it returns from the RRC connected state to the RRC idle state, which will cause the terminal device service to be interrupted and affect the continuity of the terminal device service. SUMMARY

[0003] The present application provides a cell camping method and device, which can balance the network load between different cells and ensure the continuity of the terminal device service.

[0004] In a first aspect, a cell camping method is provided, which can be applied to a terminal device or a chip in the terminal device. Taking the case where the method is applied to a terminal device as an example, the method includes: after the terminal device camps on a first cell, the terminal device receives a first message from a network device, the first message containing information of a second cell, the first cell corresponding to a first component carrier (CC) and the second cell corresponding to a second CC; the terminal device sends a second message to the network device, the second message indicating the first cell and / or the second cell, or the second message containing measurement information of the first cell and / or the second cell, so that the network device can decide the terminal device to camp on a third cell based on the second message; and the terminal device receives a third message from the network device and determines to camp on the third cell according to the third message, the third cell being one of the first cell and the second cell.

[0005] In the embodiments of the present application, when the terminal device camps on the first cell, the terminal device can notify the network device of the cells that the terminal device can camp on (i.e., the second message indicates the first cell and / or the second cell), or notify the network device of the measurement information of the first cell and / or the second cell (i.e., the second message contains the measurement information of the first cell and / or the second cell), so that the network device can select a cell for the terminal device to camp on according to the overall load status of the network, thereby balancing the network load between different cells. In this process, the terminal device does not need to perform RRC redirection, i.e., does not need to return from the RRC connected state to the RRC idle state, so the problem of service interruption of the terminal device caused by RRC redirection can be avoided.

[0006] In a possible implementation, the information of the second cell can include: CC information of the second cell; and / or, a cell identifier of the second cell.

[0007] It should be understood that the above two are only examples and not limitations, and other information can also be included in the implementation.

[0008] In a possible implementation, the information of the second cell further includes any one or more of the following: downlink reference signal information of the second cell, a signal quality threshold of the second cell, and resource allocation information of the second cell.

[0009] In this implementation, the terminal device can measure or access the second cell more efficiently by carrying the relevant information of the terminal device measuring or accessing the second cell in the first message.

[0010] In a possible implementation, the information of the second cell can also not include the downlink reference signal information of the second cell, the signal quality threshold of the second cell, and the resource allocation information of the second cell, and instead, after receiving the first message from the network device and before sending the second message to the network device, the terminal device searches for system information of the second cell according to the CC information and / or the cell identifier of the second cell, and the system information of the second cell includes any one or more of the following: the downlink reference signal information of the second cell, the signal quality threshold of the second cell, and the resource allocation information of the second cell. Then, the terminal device obtains the above information from the system information.

[0011] In this implementation, the terminal device can obtain the relevant information of measuring or accessing the second cell by searching for the system information of the second cell, which can reduce the data volume of the first message and improve the flexibility of the solution.

[0012] In a possible implementation, after camping on the first cell and before receiving the first message from the network device, the terminal device can also send a fourth message to the network device, and the fourth message is used to initiate a radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment process, an RRC re-establishment process, or an RRC resume process, etc.

[0013] In this way, the terminal device can send the first message in the RRC connection establishment process, the RRC re-establishment process, or the RRC resume process, which can improve the resource utilization of the system and save the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0014] In a possible implementation, after receiving the first message from the network device and before sending the second message to the network device, the terminal device can also determine whether the terminal device can camp on the second cell according to the information of the second cell.

[0015] In this way, the second cell indicated in the second message can be a cell that the terminal device can camp on, which helps the network device improve the decision efficiency.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the specific implementation of the terminal device determining whether to camp on the second cell according to the information of the second cell can be:

[0017] If the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is higher than or equal to the signal quality threshold of the second cell, the terminal device can camp on the second cell, and if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is lower than the signal quality threshold of the second cell, the terminal device cannot camp on the second cell; or

[0018] If the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is higher than or equal to the sum of the signal quality threshold of the second cell and the offset value, the terminal device can camp on the second cell, and if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is lower than or equal to the sum of the signal quality threshold of the second cell and the offset value, the terminal device cannot camp on the second cell; or

[0019] If the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is higher than the signal quality threshold of the second cell, the terminal device can camp on the second cell, and if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is lower than or equal to the signal quality threshold of the second cell, the terminal device cannot camp on the second cell; or

[0020] If the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is higher than or equal to the sum of the signal quality threshold of the second cell and the offset value, the terminal device can camp on the second cell, and if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is lower than or equal to the sum of the signal quality threshold of the second cell and the offset value, the terminal device cannot camp on the second cell.

[0021] Of course, the above several manners are only examples and are not limited, and other implementation manners are not excluded in actual application.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the terminal device can send the second message to the network device based on the resource of the first cell, or send the second message to the network device based on the resource of the second cell.

[0023] Through the implementation, the flexibility of the terminal device sending the second message is improved. In particular, when the number of terminal devices in the first cell where the terminal device currently camps is too large, the terminal device uses the second cell to send the second message, which can alleviate the problem of resource shortage of the first cell.

[0024] In a possible implementation, the second message includes any one or more of the following: CC information of the first cell; cell identifier of the first cell; signal quality information of the downlink reference signal of the first cell; CC information of the second cell; cell identifier of the second cell; signal quality information of the downlink reference signal of the second cell.

[0025] Of course, the above information is only an example and not limited, and other information is possible in specific implementation.

[0026] In a second aspect, a cell camping method is provided, which can be applied to a terminal device or a chip in the terminal device. Taking the case where the method is applied to a terminal device, the method comprises: after the terminal device camps on a first cell, the terminal device receives a first message from a network device, the first message containing information of a second cell, the first cell corresponding to a first component carrier (CC) and the second cell corresponding to a second CC; and the terminal device determines to camp on a third cell, the third cell being one of the first cell and the second cell.

[0027] In the embodiments of the present application, when the terminal device camps on the first cell, the terminal device only needs to receive the indication of the network side for the physical layer measurement to obtain the information of the second cell, and the terminal device does not need to perform inter-frequency measurement periodically, thereby saving the power consumption of the terminal device. After the terminal device obtains the information of the second cell, the terminal device directly decides the cell to camp on without notifying the network device, which is simple and can save the system overhead and reduce the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0028] In a possible implementation, the first message can be any one of a random access response (RAR) message, a response message for a random access signal and payload data, a radio resource control (RRC) dedicated message or a medium access control (MAC) layer message.

[0029] In this implementation, the terminal device can not need to start measurement periodically, but start measurement when needed (i.e., receiving the first message), thereby saving the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the information of the second cell can include: CC information of the second cell; and / or, a cell identifier of the second cell.

[0031] It should be understood that the above two are only examples and not limited, and other information can also be included in specific implementation.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the information of the second cell further includes a signal quality threshold of the second cell, and in this case, the terminal device can specifically determine to camp on the third cell in the following manner:

[0033] if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is higher than or equal to the signal quality threshold of the second cell, the terminal device is determined to camp on the second cell; or,

[0034] if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is higher than or equal to the sum of the signal quality threshold of the second cell and an offset value, the terminal device is determined to camp on the second cell; or,

[0035] If the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is higher than or equal to the signal quality threshold of the second cell, the terminal device is determined to camp on the first cell or the second cell according to a preset criterion; or,

[0036] If the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is higher than or equal to the sum of the signal quality threshold of the second cell and the offset value, the terminal device is determined to camp on the first cell or the second cell according to a preset criterion.

[0037] Of course, the above several manners are only examples and are not limited, and the possibility of other implementation manners is not excluded in actual application.

[0038] In a possible implementation manner, the preset criterion can include: randomly selecting the first cell or the second cell to camp on; or selecting the cell with higher priority in the first cell or the second cell to camp on.

[0039] Of course, the above two manners are only examples and are not limited, and the possibility of other implementation manners is not excluded in actual application.

[0040] In a possible implementation manner, the information of the second cell can also not include the signal quality threshold of the second cell, in which case, the terminal device can specifically determine the terminal device to camp on the third cell in the following manner:

[0041] If the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the first cell is higher than or equal to the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell, the terminal device is determined to camp on the first cell; or,

[0042] If the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the first cell is lower than the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell, the terminal device is determined to camp on the second cell.

[0043] If the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the first cell is higher than the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell, the terminal device is determined to camp on the first cell; or,

[0044] If the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the first cell is lower than or equal to the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell, the terminal device is determined to camp on the second cell.

[0045] Of course, the above several manners are only examples and are not limited, and the possibility of other implementation manners is not excluded in actual application.

[0046] In a third aspect, a cell camping method is provided, which can be applied to a network device or a chip in the network device. The method comprises: after a terminal device camps on a first cell, sending a first message to the terminal device, the first message containing information of a second cell, the first cell corresponding to a first component carrier (CC) and the second cell corresponding to a second CC; receiving a second message from the terminal device, the second message indicating the first cell and / or the second cell, or the second message containing measurement information of the first cell and / or the second cell; and sending a third message to the terminal device, the third message being used to instruct the terminal device to camp on a third cell, the third cell being one of the first cell and the second cell.

[0047] In a possible implementation, the information of the second cell comprises: CC information of the second cell; and / or, a cell identifier of the second cell.

[0048] In a possible implementation, the information of the second cell further comprises any one or more of the following: downlink reference signal information of the second cell; a signal quality threshold of the second cell; and resource allocation information of the second cell.

[0049] In a possible implementation, after the first message is sent to the terminal device and before the second message is received from the terminal device, the method further comprises: sending system information of the second cell, the system information of the second cell containing any one or more of the following: downlink reference signal information of the second cell; a signal quality threshold of the second cell; and resource allocation information of the second cell.

[0050] In a possible implementation, after the terminal device camps on the first cell and before the first message is sent to the terminal device, the method further comprises: receiving a fourth message from the terminal device, the fourth message being used to initiate a radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure, an RRC re-establishment procedure, or an RRC resume procedure.

[0051] In a possible implementation, the second message is received from the terminal device based on resources of the first cell or resources of the second cell.

[0052] In a possible implementation, the second message comprises any one or more of the following: CC information of the first cell;

[0053] a cell identifier of the first cell; signal quality information of a downlink reference signal of the first cell; CC information of the second cell; a cell identifier of the second cell; and signal quality information of a downlink reference signal of the second cell.

[0054] In a fourth aspect, a cell camping method is provided, which can be applied to a network device or a chip in the network device. The method comprises: after a terminal device camps on a first cell, sending a first message to the terminal device, wherein the first message comprises information of a second cell, and the first cell corresponds to a first component carrier (CC) and the second cell corresponds to a second CC.

[0055] In a possible implementation, the first message is any one of a random access response (RAR) message, a response message for random access signals and payload data, a radio resource control (RRC) dedicated message, or a medium access control (MAC) layer message.

[0056] In a possible implementation, the information of the second cell comprises: CC information of the second cell; and / or, a cell identifier of the second cell.

[0057] In a possible implementation, the information of the second cell further comprises a signal quality threshold of the second cell.

[0058] In a fifth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which comprises a processor and a memory, the processor and the memory are coupled, and the processor is configured to implement the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0059] In a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which comprises a processor and a memory, the processor and the memory are coupled, and the processor is configured to implement the method in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect or the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect.

[0060] In a seventh aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which comprises a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit is configured to receive a signal from another communication apparatus outside the communication apparatus and transmit the signal to the processor or send a signal from the processor to another communication apparatus outside the communication apparatus, and the processor is configured to implement the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect by means of a logic circuit or executing code instructions.

[0061] In an eighth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which comprises a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit is configured to receive a signal from another communication apparatus outside the communication apparatus and transmit the signal to the processor or send a signal from the processor to another communication apparatus outside the communication apparatus, and the processor is configured to implement the method in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect or the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect by means of a logic circuit or executing code instructions.

[0062] In a ninth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, having stored therein computer programs or instructions which, when executed by a communication device, implement the method according to the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect or the method according to the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0063] In a tenth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, having stored therein computer programs or instructions which, when executed by a communication device, implement the method according to the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect or the method according to the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect.

[0064] In an eleventh aspect, a chip is provided, coupled with a memory, for reading and executing program instructions stored in the memory, so that the method according to the first aspect or any optional implementation of the first aspect or the method according to the second aspect or any optional implementation of the second aspect is executed.

[0065] In a twelfth aspect, a chip is provided, coupled with a memory, for reading and executing program instructions stored in the memory, so that the method according to the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect or the method according to the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect is executed.

[0066] In a thirteenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the method according to the first aspect or any optional implementation of the first aspect or the method according to the second aspect or any optional implementation of the second aspect to be executed.

[0067] In a fourteenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the method according to the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect or the method according to the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect to be executed.

[0068] In a fifteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising:

[0069] the apparatus according to the fifth aspect or any optional implementation of the fifth aspect and the apparatus according to the sixth aspect or any optional implementation of the sixth aspect; or,

[0070] the apparatus according to the seventh aspect or any optional implementation of the seventh aspect and the apparatus according to the eighth aspect or any optional implementation of the eighth aspect.

[0071] The advantages of the embodiments of the third aspect to the fifteenth aspect are the same as those of the corresponding embodiments of the first aspect to the second aspect, which will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0072] Figure 1 A possible architecture diagram of a communication system applicable to embodiments of the present application;

[0073] Figure 2 A flowchart for four-step random access;

[0074] Figure 3 A flowchart for two-step random access;

[0075] Figure 4 A flowchart for a cell reselection procedure based on RRC redirection;

[0076] Figure 5 A flowchart for a cell reselection procedure based on cell reselection priority;

[0077] Figure 6 A flowchart of a cell camping method provided by embodiments of the present application;

[0078] Figure 7 A flowchart of another cell camping method provided by embodiments of the present application;

[0079] Figure 8 A flowchart of a CC camping method provided by embodiments of the present application;

[0080] Figure 9 A structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus 900 provided by embodiments of the present application;

[0081] Figure 10 A structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus 1000 provided by embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0082] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: Long Term Evolution (LTE), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) system, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), 5th generation (5G) communication system, 6th generation (6G) communication system or other future evolution systems, or other various wireless communication systems using wireless access technologies, etc. As long as there is a demand for cell or CC camping in the communication system, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be adopted.

[0083] For example, Figure 1 A possible communication system applicable to the embodiment of the present application. The communication system includes at least one network device ( Figure 1 Specifically take three network devices as an example), and at least one terminal device ( Figure 1 Specifically take a terminal device as an example). The terminal device is located within the coverage of one or more cells (CC or frequency) provided by the network device, and the cell serving the terminal device can be one or more. When there are multiple service cells for the terminal device, the terminal device can operate in accordance with carrier aggregation (CA) or dual connectivity (DC) or coordinated multi-point transmission mode, wherein at least one cell provides more than one system parameter (Numerology) and provides wireless resources for the terminal device at the same time. When the terminal device moves, the terminal device can perform cell selection or cell switching between different cells. These different cells can be distributed under one network device, that is, co-station, or distributed under different network devices, that is, not co-station (or cross-station), and this application does not limit this.

[0084] The terminal devices involved in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as terminals, user equipment (UE), mobile stations, mobile terminals, etc. The terminal devices may be mobile phones, tablet computers, computers with wireless transceiver functions, virtual reality terminal devices, augmented reality terminal devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in unmanned driving, wireless terminals in remote surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technologies and specific device forms adopted by the terminal devices. In the embodiments of the present application, the device for realizing the functions of the terminal device may be a terminal device; it may also be a device that can support the terminal device to realize the function, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the terminal device or used in combination with the terminal device. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices. In the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are described by taking the terminal device as an example of the device for realizing the functions of the terminal device.

[0085] The network device involved in the embodiments of the present application is an access network (Radio Access Network, RAN) device through which a terminal device accesses the mobile communication system in a wireless manner, which can include but is not limited to: a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, etc. The interface between network devices is called an Xn interface, and the interface between a network device and a terminal device can be a Uu interface (or air interface). Of course, in future communications, the names of these interfaces can remain unchanged, or they can be replaced by other names, which are not limited by the present application.

[0086] In the embodiments of the present application, the coverage capabilities of different network devices can be different. For example Figure 1 The network device 1 in the above is a macro base station (Macro eNB), and the network device 2 and the network device 3 are micro base stations (Small eNB), which can also be referred to as small base stations. The macro base station is large in size, carries a large number of users, and has a wide coverage area, which can generally reach tens of kilometers. The micro base station is a micro base station, which is usually a small base station installed in a building or a dense area. Such a base station is small in size, small in coverage area, and low in user carrying capacity.

[0087] In the following, some terms in the embodiments of the present application are explained and described to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0088] 1) Four-step random access: In the LTE system and the 5G New Radio (NR) system, the terminal device is converted from the RRC idle state to the RRC connected state when initially accessing, and the terminal device re-establishes the RRC connection with the network device after the wireless connection is interrupted, and acquires the uplink timing advance (Timing Advance, TA) through random access.

[0089] As shown in FIG. 1, a flowchart of four-step random access includes: Figure 2

[0090] S201, the terminal device and the network device perform random access initialization.

[0091] The configuration parameters of the initialized random access include determining the physical random access channel resource (PRACH) set corresponding to the available random access preamble (Preamble), etc.

[0092] ​S202, the terminal device sends a preamble to the network device. (This is the first step of the four-step random access.)

[0093] Specifically, the preamble can be carried in a message 1 (hereinafter referred to as Msg1). The main role of the preamble is to tell the network device that there is a random access request, and to enable the network device to estimate the transmission delay between it and the terminal device, so that the access network device can calibrate the uplink timing advance (Uplink Timing) and inform the terminal device of the calibration information through the timing advance command (Timing Advance command).

[0094] S203, the network device sends a random access response (Random Access Response, RAR) to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the RAR sent by the network device. (This is the second step of the four-step random access.)

[0095] Specifically, the terminal device can listen to the physical downlink control channel (Physical Downlink Control Channel, PDCCH) using the random access radio network temporary identifier (Random Access Radio Network Temporary Identifier, RA-RNTI). If the scheduling information, i.e. the downlink control information (Downlink Control Information, DCI), belonging to the terminal device is received, the terminal device receives the RAR message from the network device on the PDSCH according to the DCI information.

[0096] Specifically, the random access response is carried in a message 2 (hereinafter referred to as Msg2). After the terminal device sends the preamble, it will listen to the corresponding PDCCH according to the RA-RNTI value corresponding to the preamble in the RAR response window. If the preamble carried in the response received by the terminal device is consistent with the preamble sent in Msg1, stop listening to RAR. Specifically, the network device can send RAR to the terminal device through PDSCH.

[0097] The RAR contains the uplink timing advance, the uplink grant (UL grant) allocated for message 3 (hereinafter referred to as Msg3), the temporary cell radio network temporary identifier (Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier, temporary C-RNTI) allocated by the network side, etc. Among them, the PDCCH carrying the Msg2 scheduling message is scrambled with RA-RNTI.

[0098] S204, the terminal device sends a message based on scheduled transmission to the network device, namely, Msg3, and the terminal device receives Msg3 sent by the network device (this is the third step of the four-step random access).

[0099] Based on the uplink grant and uplink timing advance information in Msg2, the terminal device sends Msg3 to the network device via the uplink physical shared channel (PUSCH). The content of Msg3 may vary depending on the terminal device state and application scenario. For initial random access, the terminal device sends an RRC connection request message via Msg3, which needs to carry the terminal device identification information for the network device to perform S205 conflict resolution and select the terminal device with successful conflict resolution based on the received terminal device identification information.

[0100] Since the network device in S203 sends a MAC protocol data unit (PDU) to multiple terminal devices, the RAR received by each terminal device may be different, and accordingly, the behavior of each terminal device may also be different. After each terminal device monitors its own RAR, it can send Msg3 to the access network device based on the specific content contained in the RAR.

[0101] S205, the network device sends a contention resolution to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the contention resolution sent by the network device, that is, message 4 (hereinafter referred to as Msg4, which is the fourth step of the four-step random access).

[0102] When multiple devices initiate random access using the same preamble, contention occurs. Of the devices competing for the same resource, at most one can successfully access. At this point, the network device sends a contention resolution message to the device via the PDSCH. If the device determines that Msg4 contains all or part of the device identification information sent in S204, the contention resolution is considered successful and the device enters the RRC Connected state.

[0103] 2) Two-step random access: To shorten random access latency, the 5G NR system supports two-step random access in addition to the traditional four-step random access method. Two-step random access is a research hotspot for random access in the current 5G NR system.

[0104] like Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a two-step random access process, including:

[0105] S301, the terminal device sends a message A (hereinafter referred to as MsgA) to the network device, and the network device receives MsgA.

[0106] Specifically, the MsgA includes a random access signal and payload data, the random access signal can include a preamble and / or a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), the random access signal is used for reception of the payload data, the payload data can correspond to the content contained in the Msg3 in the four-step random access mechanism. For example, the payload data can include an RRC connection request, an identifier of the terminal device.

[0107] S302, the network device sends a message B (hereinafter referred to as MsgB) to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the MsgB.

[0108] Specifically, the MsgB is used to carry a response message for the random access signal and the payload data. The response message can include at least one of the following: information of a temporary C-RNTI, information of a timing advance command (TA command), information of an uplink grant, contention resolution ID information, etc. The contention resolution ID can be part or all of the content of the payload data. In addition, the response message also includes a control plane message (which can also be regarded as a response message based on scheduled transmission), for example, according to different terminal device states and different trigger scenarios, the RAR can also include one of the following: an RRC connection (RRCSetup) message, an RRC reestablishment (RRCReestablishment) message, an RRC resume (RRCResume) message, etc.

[0109] 3) The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of the present application can be used interchangeably. "At least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B 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. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c.

[0110] 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 order, time sequence, priority or importance of the plurality of objects. For example, the first priority criterion and the second priority criterion are only used to distinguish different criteria, and do not mean that the contents, priorities or importance of the two criteria are different.

[0111] In addition, the terms "comprising" and "having" in the embodiments and claims and drawings of the present application are not exclusive. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or modules is not limited to the listed steps or modules, and can also include steps or modules that are not listed.

[0112] Two frequency ranges are specified in the 5G mobile communication system, one is Frequency Range (FR) 1, commonly referred to as Sub 6GHz. The other is FR2, commonly referred to as millimeter wave (Millimeter Wave). For different frequency ranges, the bandwidth and subcarrier spacing of the system are all different. Among them, the FR1 frequency is low and the coverage is good, and the FR2 frequency is high, the bandwidth is large, and the capacity is large. Considering the coverage and capacity problems in actual network deployment, multi-frequency point joint deployment is often adopted. For example, a cell 1 with a frequency of 2.1 GHz, a cell 2 with a frequency of 3.5 GHz and a cell 3 with a frequency of 28 GHz are deployed in the same area at the same time, among which 2.1 GHz can meet the demand of wide coverage, and 3.5 GHz and 28 GHz can be used as hotspot coverage to meet the demand of high-speed service.

[0113] A cell can usually correspond to a component carrier (CC), in which case the CC and the cell can be considered as equivalent concepts, and a CC can be equivalent to a cell. For example, a first cell corresponds to a first CC, and the first CC refers to the first cell. The second cell corresponds to the second CC, and the second CC refers to the second cell. In this paper, the CC can also be referred to as a carrier, so the CC and the carrier can be replaced with each other, for example, the first CC can be replaced with the first carrier, and the second CC can be replaced with the second carrier. A CC generally corresponds to a frequency point, so unless otherwise specified, a CC and a frequency point can be replaced with each other. For example, the first CC can be replaced with the first frequency point, and the second CC can be replaced with the second frequency point.

[0114] A cell can also correspond to multiple CCs, and each CC corresponds to a frequency point, in which case multiple CCs or multiple frequency points can correspond to the same cell.

[0115] Therefore, in this paper, unless otherwise specified, the cell corresponding to the CC or the frequency point can include the above two cases (i.e. one CC or frequency point corresponds to one cell, or multiple CCs or frequency points correspond to one cell), for example: the first CC or the first frequency point corresponds to the first cell, and the second CC or the second frequency point corresponds to the second cell, wherein the first cell and the second cell can be different cells or the same cell.

[0116] When the terminal device moves in the multi-frequency point networking scenario, the cell selection, cell reselection and cell handover between different cells of multi-frequency points are involved.

[0117] The cell selection and cell reselection are introduced below by taking common mobility processes as examples.

[0118] 1) Cell selection: When the terminal device is powered on or a radio link failure occurs, the terminal device will perform a cell search process and select a suitable cell for camping as soon as possible, which is called "cell selection".

[0119] The terminal device can perform the cell search process according to the target cell indicated by the redirection carrier information carried in the RRC release message, or perform the cell search process according to the information stored by the terminal device, such as frequency points, or perform the cell search process in all supported radio access technologies (RATs) within the bandwidth supported by the terminal device until a suitable cell is found. The terminal device reads the system information of the currently searched cell in the cell search process, obtains the Qrxlevmeas, Qrxlevmin and Qrxlevminoffset parameters of the cell, and evaluates whether the cell is a suitable cell according to the S criterion in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard. If the cell is a suitable cell (i.e., the S criterion is met), the terminal device camps on the cell and then reads the system information of the cell, listens to the paging message of the cell, and so on, thus completing the cell selection process. If the cell is not a suitable cell (i.e., the S criterion is not met), the terminal device continues the cell search process until a suitable cell (i.e., a cell meeting the S criterion) is found for camping.

[0120] The formula of the S criterion is:

[0121] Srxlev>0;

[0122] Wherein, Srxlev is a level value (unit: decibel (dB)) calculated by measuring the reference signal of the searched cell in the cell selection / reselection process. If the Srxlev value (S value) of the cell is greater than 0, it means that the cell meets the S criterion, and the cell is a suitable cell (a suitable cell for camping).

[0123] Generally, the coverage of a low-frequency cell (e.g., the cell 1 with a frequency of 2.1 GHz described above) is wider. If more terminal devices select to camp on and access the cell 1 in the cell selection process, the network load between cells will be uneven. For a terminal device in an RRC idle state camped on 2.1 GHz, if the terminal device needs to transfer to 3.5 GHz, a complex cell reselection process needs to be performed.

[0124] 2) Cell reselection: after the terminal device in the RRC idle state camps on a cell, the terminal device may need to camp on another cell with higher priority or better signal as the terminal device moves, which is called a cell reselection process. Cell selection is a process of finding a suitable cell as soon as possible, and cell reselection is a process of selecting a more suitable cell (i.e., the cell selection process is performed first, and then the cell reselection process is performed).

[0125] Two cell reselection methods are introduced below.

[0126] 1) Based on RRC redirection.

[0127] In a multi-frequency networking scenario, a terminal device camps on a first cell through cell selection or cell reselection, the first cell corresponds to CC1 = 2.1 GHz, and initiates initial random access to enter an RRC connected state.

[0128] When the network device detects that the first cell is congested or wants the terminal device to camp on a second cell, the network device can release the terminal device into an RRC idle state through an RRC redirection process and redirect the terminal device to the second cell, where the second cell corresponds to CC2 = 3.5 GHz, thereby relieving the congestion of the first cell and balancing the load.

[0129] Referring to Figure 4 , the cell reselection process based on RRC redirection includes:

[0130] S401, a terminal device camps on a first cell through cell selection (i.e., initial access) or cell reselection.

[0131] S402, the terminal device initiates initial access to the first cell and enters an RRC connected state.

[0132] S403, a network device sends an RRC release message.

[0133] The RRC release message includes: A, redirection frequency point information, used to indicate the frequency point information of the target cell (i.e., the second cell), for example, 3.5 GHz, so that when the terminal device enters the RRC idle state to perform the cell selection process, the second cell can be preferentially considered for camping.

[0134] S404, the terminal device enters the RRC idle state.

[0135] S405, the terminal device performs cell reselection and selects the second cell for camping.

[0136] S406, the terminal device initiates access to the second cell and enters the RRC connected state.

[0137] The above scheme requires the terminal device to return to the RRC idle state first to perform the cell reselection process, and then to be redirected from CC1 to CC2. However, the terminal device returns to the RRC idle state has an interruption delay of 90-130 milliseconds, thereby causing the terminal device service interruption and affecting the continuity of the terminal device service.

[0138] The second kind is based on the cell reselection priority.

[0139] In the multi-frequency point networking scenario, the network device can also set different cell reselection priorities for different frequency points. For example, when the first cell corresponding to CC1 is relatively congested, the network device can set the reselection priority of the second cell corresponding to CC2 to be high, so that when the terminal device performs cell reselection, the second cell corresponding to CC2 can be preferentially considered for camping.

[0140] Referring to Figure 5 , the cell reselection process based on the cell reselection priority includes:

[0141] S501, the terminal device performs cell selection and camps in the first cell, and the first cell corresponds to CC1=2.1 GHz.

[0142] S502, the terminal device receives the system message sent by the first cell, and the system message includes the parameter information of the cell reselection of multiple frequency points, wherein the cell reselection priority of CC2=3.5 GHz is included, and the network device can set the cell reselection priority of CC2=3.5 GHz to "high".

[0143] Optionally, the system message can also include the value of the parameter of the cell reselection standard.

[0144] S503, the terminal device reads the cell reselection priority of CC2 from the system message.

[0145] S504, the terminal device starts periodic inter-frequency cell measurement, and the second cell where the CC2 is located is preferentially considered as a target inter-frequency cell for cell reselection. When the second cell where the CC2 is located meets a cell reselection criterion, for example, Srxlev of the second cell is greater than a preset threshold value, the terminal device reselects to the second cell.

[0146] The above scheme sets the cell reselection priority of the CC2 as high through a system message, but this priority is cell-level information and cannot be dynamically adjusted. If there are many terminal devices in the coverage range of the second cell where the CC2 is located that need to perform cell reselection, a large number of RRC idle-state terminal devices may reselect to the second cell where the CC2 is located in a short time, causing uneven network load between CCs. In addition, for a terminal device in an RRC idle state that first resides in the first cell where the CC1 is located, it is necessary to periodically perform inter-frequency measurement and switch to the CC2 through cell reselection, which is high in complexity and large in terminal device-side power consumption.

[0147] To solve one or more of the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present application provide one or more cell camping methods and devices. When a terminal device in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state camps on a first cell where a CC1 is located, a network device can send a first message to the terminal device, and the first message contains information of one or more second cells, and the CC of each second cell is different from the CC of the first cell. After receiving the first message, the terminal device can measure each second cell based on the first message, and then report a second message to the network device, and the second message contains measurement information of the first cell and / or at least one second cell, or the second message is used to indicate a cell (for example, the first cell and / or at least one second cell, etc.) that the network device can camp on, and then the network device can decide the cell where the terminal device camps on based on the second message according to the load status of the entire network, so that the network load balancing between different CCs can be ensured. In this process, the terminal device does not need to return from an RRC connected state to an RRC idle state, so the problem of terminal device service interruption caused by RRC redirection can be avoided. Alternatively, when a terminal device in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state camps on a first cell where a CC1 is located, a network device can send a first message to the terminal device, and the first message contains information of one or more second cells, and the CC of each second cell is different from the CC of the first cell. After receiving the first message, the terminal device can measure each second cell based on the first message, and then decide the cell where the terminal device camps on. In this process, the terminal device does not need to return from an RRC connected state to an RRC idle state, so the problem of terminal device service interruption caused by RRC redirection can be avoided. Moreover, the terminal device decides the cell to camp on, which is simple to implement, can not need to notify the network device, can save the system overhead, and can reduce the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0148] In order to make the purposes, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the embodiments of the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0149] As shown in Figure 6 , a cell camping method provided by the embodiments of the present application is shown. In the following introduction process, the method is taken as an example applied in Figure 1 , and a case where one cell corresponds to one CC is taken as an example.

[0150] S601, the terminal device performs cell selection or cell reselection, and selects a first cell to camp on.

[0151] The first cell corresponds to a first CC. Here, one cell corresponds to one CC, and thus selecting the first cell is equivalent to selecting the first CC.

[0152] Specifically, when the terminal device is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state, the terminal device performs initial cell selection, and determines whether the first CC meets a cell selection criterion. If the first CC meets the cell selection criterion, the terminal device camps on a first cell corresponding to the first CC. The cell selection criterion can be an S criterion.

[0153] The specific implementation process of S601 can refer to the related description of the cell selection or cell reselection in the foregoing description, and will not be described here.

[0154] S602, after the terminal device camps on the first cell, the network device sends a first message to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the first message from the network device.

[0155] The first message contains information of one or more second cells, which is not limited by the present application.

[0156] If the first message contains information of one second cell, the CC corresponding to the second cell is different from the CC corresponding to the first cell. For example, the first cell corresponds to CC1=2.1 GHz, and the second cell corresponds to CC2=3.5 GHz.

[0157] If the first message contains information of multiple second cells, the CC corresponding to each of the multiple second cells is different from the CC corresponding to the first cell, and the CC corresponding to different second cells is also different. For example, the first message contains two second cells, one of which corresponds to CC2=3.5 GHz, and the other of which corresponds to CC3=28 GHz.

[0158] It can be understood that, in the case that the first message contains information of multiple second cells, the method steps performed for each second cell and the method steps for one second cell are the same, and the following is described in detail taking the case that the first message contains information of one second cell as an example.

[0159] Specifically, the first cell corresponds to a first CC, and the second cell corresponds to a second CC, and the first CC and the second CC are different.

[0160] The first cell and the second cell can be distributed under the same network device or can be distributed under different network devices, and the present application does not limit this.

[0161] In the embodiment of the present application, the information of the second cell can include any one or more of the following:

[0162] 1) CC information of the second cell, i.e., frequency point information corresponding to the second CC, for example, a second cell center frequency point position corresponding to the second CC. The terminal device can perform cell search and synchronization on the cell corresponding to the second CC according to the frequency point information corresponding to the second CC.

[0163] 2) Cell identifier of the second cell, i.e., cell identifier corresponding to the second CC. The terminal device can identify the cell corresponding to the second CC, i.e., the second cell, according to the CC information of the second cell.

[0164] In a possible implementation manner, the information of the second cell further includes information related to camping and access of the second cell, for example, including any one or more of the following:

[0165] 3) Downlink reference signal information of the second cell, i.e., second downlink reference signal information, i.e., resource position of the downlink reference signal corresponding to the second CC. For example, synchronization signal block (SSB), channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), and the like. The terminal device can obtain the signal quality of the second cell, such as reference signal receiving power (RSRP) or reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ) of the second cell, and the like, according to the second downlink reference signal information.

[0166] 4) Signal quality threshold of the second cell, i.e., second signal quality threshold.

[0167] For example, the RSRP threshold or RSRQ threshold of the second cell. The terminal device can make a decision based on the second signal quality threshold and the signal quality of the second downlink reference signal. For the specific decision process, please refer to the relevant introduction in S603 below.

[0168] 5) Resource allocation information of the second cell, such as second random access resource information, i.e., information on random access resource allocation of the second cell corresponding to the second CC. For example, available Preamble, PRACH resources, etc. The terminal device can perform random access to the second cell corresponding to the second CC based on the second random access resource information.

[0169] In another possible implementation, the information of the second cell does not include information related to the residence and access of the second cell. The terminal device searches for the system message of the second cell based on the CC information and / or cell identifier of the second cell, and reads the information related to the residence and access of the second cell from the searched system message, such as reading one or more of the downlink reference signal information of the second cell, the signal quality threshold of the second cell, or the resource allocation information of the second cell from the system message.

[0170] Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present application, the first message may be a system message or a proprietary signaling, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. The following are some possible implementation methods:

[0171] In mode 1, the first message is a broadcast message, such as a system information block (SIB).

[0172] Exemplarily, the terminal device searches for a broadcast message before initiating a random access process, and obtains information about the second cell from the broadcast message.

[0173] Optionally, after receiving the first message, the terminal may not perform cell measurement according to the first message first, but may wait until the terminal requests an RRC establishment process, a re-establishment process, or a recovery process, and then perform cell measurement according to the first message, or wait until the terminal requests to send data and then perform cell measurement according to the first message, for example, measuring the reference signal of the first cell or the first CC and the second cell or the second CC. In this way, the terminal device does not need to perform measurement periodically, but can perform measurement when needed, which can save power consumption of the terminal device.

[0174] Mode 2: The first message is RRC-specific information, such as an RRC establishment message, an RRC release message, or an RRC recovery message; the first message may also be a MAC layer message.

[0175] Mode 3: The first message is a RAR message. This mode can be used for a four-step random access procedure.

[0176] Mode 4: The first message is MsgB. This mode can be used for a two-step random access procedure.

[0177] Based on the above methods 1, 2, 3, and 4, the first message can be multiplexed with the system message, or multiplexed with the message in the RRC connection establishment process, the RRC re-establishment process, or the RRC recovery process. No additional overhead resources are required to transmit the first message, which can improve the resource utilization of the system and save the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0178] Optionally, if the first message is an RRC message, after the terminal device resides in the first cell and before the terminal device receives the first message from the network device, the terminal device also sends a fourth message to the network device, where the fourth message is used to initiate an RRC connection establishment process, or an RRC re-establishment process, or an RRC recovery process.

[0179] Optionally, if the first message is a RAR in a four-step random access process, the fourth message is a Preamble message in the four-step random access process, used to initiate the random access process.

[0180] Optionally, if the first message is MsgB in the two-step random access process, the fourth message is MsgA in the two-step random access process, which is used to request an RRC establishment process, a re-establishment process, or a recovery process, etc. The specific implementation of MsgA can refer to the relevant introduction in the two-step random access above and will not be repeated here.

[0181] Optionally, if the fourth message includes the user plane data, the fourth message is also used to request user plane data transmission.

[0182] It should be understood that if the first cell and the second cell are distributed under the same network device, the network device in S602 is the network device corresponding to the first cell and the second cell; if the first cell and the second cell are distributed under different network devices, the network device in S602 is the network device corresponding to the first cell (for example, the first network device).

[0183] S603: The terminal device sends a second message to the network device, and the network device receives the second message from the terminal device.

[0184] The second message may be an RRC message, such as an RRC Setup Request message, which is used by a terminal device in an RRC idle state to request the establishment of an RRC connection; the second message may also be an RRC Resume Request message, which is used by a terminal device in an RRC inactive state to request the resumption of RRC establishment; the second message may also be a MAC message, such as a MAC control element (CE).

[0185] The terminal device further performs signal measurement on the second cell after receiving the first message from the network device and before sending the second message to the network device, and obtains the signal quality of the second cell. For example, the RSRP or RSRQ of the second cell is measured according to the second downlink reference signal information. The signal measurement here can be a physical layer measurement, that is, the reference signal is measured at the physical layer without the need for processing at the RRC layer (for example, without the need for performing a filtering operation), the measurement is simpler, the measurement efficiency can be improved, and the power consumption of the terminal device can be saved.

[0186] In the embodiments of the present application, the second message indicates the first cell and / or the second cell, or the second message contains the measurement information of the first cell and / or the second cell. The specific content of the second message is different according to whether the terminal device performs the judgment operation of whether the terminal device can camp on the second cell after receiving the first message from the network device and before sending the second message to the network device.

[0187] In case A, the terminal device judges whether the terminal device can camp on the second cell according to the information of the second cell in S602 after receiving the first message from the network device and before sending the second message to the network device, and the second message indicates the first cell and / or the second cell, that is, the first cell and / or the second cell indicated by the second message is the cell that the terminal device can camp on. For example, the second message contains the CC information and / or the cell identifier of the first cell, and / or the CC information and / or the cell identifier of the second cell. Optionally, the second message can also contain the measurement information of the first cell and / or the second cell. For example, the signal quality information of the downlink reference signal of the first cell and / or the second cell.

[0188] It can be understood that since the terminal device has camped on the first cell at S601 (or has performed the judgment operation on the first cell before S601), it is not necessary to perform the judgment operation on the first cell again here, that is, the terminal device has already known that it can camp on the first cell. Of course, the terminal device can also perform the camping judgment on the first cell again here, which is not limited by the present application.

[0189] The specific method for the terminal device to judge whether the terminal device can camp on the second cell according to the information of the second cell includes but is not limited to the following four kinds:

[0190] The first kind is that if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is higher than or equal to the signal quality threshold of the second cell, the terminal device can camp on the second cell, and if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is lower than the signal quality threshold of the second cell, the terminal device cannot camp on the second cell.

[0191] The third, if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is higher than the signal quality threshold of the second cell, the terminal device can camp on the second cell, and if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is lower than or equal to the signal quality threshold of the second cell, the terminal device cannot camp on the second cell.

[0192] The third, if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is higher than the signal quality threshold of the second cell, the terminal device can camp on the second cell, and if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is lower than or equal to the signal quality threshold of the second cell, the terminal device cannot camp on the second cell.

[0193] The fourth, if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is higher than the sum of the signal quality threshold of the second cell and the offset value, the terminal device can camp on the second cell, and if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is lower than or equal to the sum of the signal quality threshold of the second cell and the offset value, the terminal device cannot camp on the second cell.

[0194] Optionally, the offset value can be obtained through a system message, or be a protocol default, which is not specified here.

[0195] Case B, after receiving the first message from the network device, and before sending the second message to the network device, the terminal device does not determine whether the terminal device can camp on the second cell, and the second message contains the measurement information of the first cell and / or the second cell, for example, the signal quality information of the downlink reference signal of the first cell and / or the second cell. The network device performs the determination operation of whether the terminal device can camp on the second cell.

[0196] Further, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can send the second message to the network device based on the resources of the first cell, or send the second message to the network device based on the resources of the second cell, which is not limited here.

[0197] It should be understood that, in Figure 6 , S603A represents that the terminal device sends the second message to the network device based on the resources of the first cell (mode A), and S603B represents that the terminal device sends the second message to the network device based on the resources of the second cell (mode B).

[0198] Further, the terminal device can determine whether to use the resources of the first cell or the resources of the second cell according to the idle / tight situation of the resources. For example, when the resources of the first cell are relatively idle, the resources of the first cell can be used to send the second message, and if the resources of the first cell are tight, the resources of the second cell can be used to send the second message.

[0199] The scenario that the terminal device sends the second message to the network device based on the resources of the second cell can be understood as that the terminal device virtually resides in the second cell, i.e., the terminal device does not actually reside in the second cell, but can use the resources of the second cell.

[0200] Optionally, the second message is used for a random access procedure.

[0201] It can be understood that the random access procedure here can be a two-step random access procedure or a four-step random access procedure, which is not limited by the present application. If it is a two-step random access procedure, the second message can be MsgA, and if it is a four-step random access procedure, the second message can be Msg3. If the second message here is MsgA in the two-step random access procedure, the first message can be a broadcast message. If the second message here is Msg3 in the four-step random access procedure, the first message can be RAR.

[0202] After the terminal device resides in the first cell at S601, the terminal device needs to initiate a random access procedure to the network device (for the first cell) to switch the RRC state from the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state to the RRC connected state when a service transmission demand occurs, and then service transmission can be performed. By implementing this way, the second message can be multiplexed with the message in the random access procedure, so that the terminal does not need to additionally consume resources to transmit the second message.

[0203] Specifically, the terminal device can send the second message to the network device based on the random access resources of the first cell or the random access resources of the second cell.

[0204] When the network device sends the second message to the network device based on the resources of the first cell, the second message includes any one or more of the following: CC information of the second cell, cell identifier of the second cell, signal quality information of the downlink reference signal of the second cell.

[0205] Optionally, the second message can also include any one or more of the following: CC information of the first cell, cell identifier of the first cell, signal quality information of the downlink reference signal of the first cell. Alternatively, the second message can not include the CC information of the first cell, the cell identifier of the first cell, the signal quality information of the downlink reference signal of the first cell, etc., and the network device determines that the terminal device currently resides in the first cell according to the access of the terminal device to the first cell, so the terminal device can certainly reside in the first cell.

[0206] When the network device sends the second message to the network device based on the resources of the second cell, the second message includes any one or more of the following: CC information of the first cell, cell identifier of the first cell, signal quality information of the downlink reference signal of the first cell.

[0207] Optionally, the second message can further include any one or more of the following: CC information of the second cell, cell identification of the second cell, signal quality information of a downlink reference signal of the second cell.

[0208] Alternatively, the second message can not include the CC information of the second cell, the cell identification of the second cell, the signal quality information of the downlink reference signal of the second cell, and the like, and the network device determines that the terminal device can camp on the second cell according to the terminal device accessing the second cell.

[0209] It should be understood that if the first cell and the second cell are distributed under the same network device, the network device in S603 is the network device corresponding to the first cell and the second cell. The network device determines, based on the second message, that the cell in which the terminal device camps is a third cell, and the third cell is one of the first cell and the second cell. For example, the network device can select the cell with better signal quality as the third cell according to the signal quality information of the first cell and the second cell, to ensure the communication quality of the terminal device; or the network device can select the cell with lighter load as the third cell according to the load information of the first cell and the second cell, to balance the load between the cells, and the like. Of course, there can be other implementation manners, which are not limited herein.

[0210] If the first cell and the second cell are distributed under different network devices, the network device in S603 can be the network device (e.g., the first network device) corresponding to the first cell. After the first network device determines, based on the second message, that the cell in which the terminal device camps is the third cell, the first network device notifies the second network device of the decision result (the third cell), or the first network device forwards the second message to the second network device, and the second network device determines the third cell and notifies the first network device of the decision result. Of course, the network device in S603 can also be the network device (e.g., the second network device) corresponding to the second cell, i.e., the second network device determines, based on the second message, that the cell in which the terminal device camps is the third cell.

[0211] S604, the network device sends a third message to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the third message from the network device.

[0212] If the terminal device sends the second message to the network device based on the resources of the first cell in S603, the network device sends the third message to the terminal device based on the resources of the first cell here. In Figure 6 S604A represents that the network device sends the third message to the terminal device based on the resources of the first cell (mode A); if the terminal device sends the second message to the network device based on the resources of the second cell in S603, the network device sends the third message to the terminal device based on the resources of the second cell here. In Figure 6In the middle, S604B represents that the network device sends a third message to the terminal device based on the resources of the second cell (mode B).

[0213] The third message can be an RRC message, such as an RRC setup request message, for a terminal device in an RRC idle state to request to establish an RRC connection; the third message can also be an RRC resume request message, for a terminal device in an RRC inactive state to request to resume an RRC setup; the third message can also be a MAC message, such as a MAC CE.

[0214] It should be understood that if the first cell and the second cell are distributed under the same network device, the network device in S604 is the network device corresponding to the first cell and the second cell. If the first cell and the second cell are distributed under different network devices, the network device in S604 is the network device corresponding to the second cell (i.e., the second network device).

[0215] S605, the terminal device determines to camp on a third cell according to the third message, the third cell being one of the first cell and the second cell.

[0216] Specifically, the third message contains at least one of the following information:

[0217] 1) CC information of the third cell, i.e., a service frequency point of the third cell, the terminal device determining a frequency point of the first cell according to the CC information of the third cell. The CC information of the third cell is the CC information of the first cell or the CC information of the second cell.

[0218] 2) Cell identity of the third cell, the terminal device determining the third cell as a primary cell or a serving cell according to the cell identity of the third cell. The cell identity of the third cell is the cell identity of the first cell or the cell identity of the second cell.

[0219] In the embodiment of the present application, when the terminal device in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state camps on the first cell, the terminal device can notify the network device of the cells in which the terminal device can camp (i.e., the second message indicates the first cell and / or the second cell), or notify the network device of the measurement information of the first cell and / or the second cell (i.e., the second message contains the measurement information of the first cell and / or the second cell), so that the network device can select the cell for the terminal device according to the overall load status of the network, thereby ensuring the network load balancing between different cells. Moreover, this process does not require the terminal device to perform RRC redirection, i.e., does not require the terminal device to return from the RRC connected state to the RRC idle state, so as to avoid the problem of service interruption of the terminal device caused by RRC redirection. In addition, when the number of terminal devices in the cell (e.g., the first cell) in which the terminal device currently camps is too large, the terminal device can initiate random access in the virtually camped cell (e.g., the second cell), thereby alleviating the problem of tight random access resources in the first cell.

[0220] As shown in Figure 7 Another cell switching method provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown in the following introduction process, which is taken as an example in the scenario shown in Figure 1 As shown in the following introduction process, which is taken as an example in the scenario shown in

[0221] S701, the terminal device performs cell selection or cell reselection, and selects the first cell corresponding to the first CC to camp on.

[0222] The specific implementation of S701 can be referred to S601 in the foregoing description, and will not be described here.

[0223] S702, after the terminal device camps on the first cell, the network device sends a first message to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the first message from the network device.

[0224] The specific implementation of S702 can be referred to S602 in the foregoing description, and will not be described here.

[0225] Here, it is taken as an example that the first message contains information of a second cell, and it is taken as an example that the first cell corresponds to the first CC, the second cell corresponds to the second CC, and the first CC and the second CC are different.

[0226] S703, the terminal device determines to camp on a third cell, and the third cell is one of the first cell and the second cell.

[0227] In a possible implementation, if the terminal device acquires the signal quality threshold of the second cell in S702 (for example, the first message carries the signal quality threshold of the second cell, and the terminal device reads the signal quality threshold of the second cell from the first message; or for example, the first message only carries the CC information and / or cell identifier of the second cell, and does not carry the signal quality threshold of the second cell, and the terminal device reads the CC information and / or cell identifier of the second cell from the first message, and then searches for the system message of the second cell according to the CC information and / or cell identifier of the second cell, and reads the signal quality threshold of the second cell from the searched system message), the terminal device determines that the terminal device camps on the third cell, including:

[0228] if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is higher than or equal to the signal quality threshold of the second cell, the terminal device camps on the second cell; or

[0229] if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is higher than or equal to the sum of the signal quality threshold of the second cell and the offset value, the terminal device camps on the second cell; or

[0230] if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is higher than or equal to the signal quality threshold of the second cell, the terminal device camps on the first cell or the second cell according to a preset criterion; or

[0231] if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is higher than or equal to the sum of the signal quality threshold of the second cell and the offset value, the terminal device camps on the first cell or the second cell according to a preset criterion.

[0232] The preset criterion can be randomly selecting the first cell or the second cell to camp on, or selecting the cell with higher priority in the first cell or the second cell to camp on. Alternatively, other manners can be used to select the third cell, which is not limited here.

[0233] In another possible implementation, if the terminal device does not acquire the signal quality threshold of the second cell in S702, the terminal device determines that the terminal device camps on the third cell, including:

[0234] if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the first cell is higher than or equal to the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell, the terminal device camps on the first cell; or

[0235] if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the first cell is lower than the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell, the terminal device camps on the second cell; or

[0236] If the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the first cell is higher than the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell, it is determined that the terminal device camps on the first cell; or

[0237] If the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the first cell is lower than or equal to the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell, it is determined that the terminal device camps on the second cell.

[0238] As can be seen from the above, when the terminal device in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state camps on the first cell, the terminal device only needs to receive the indication of the network side to perform the physical layer measurement to obtain the information of the second cell, and the terminal device does not need to perform the inter-frequency measurement periodically, thereby saving the power consumption of the terminal device. After the terminal device obtains the information of the second cell, the terminal device directly decides the camped cell without notifying the network device, which is simple and can further save the system overhead and reduce the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0239] It should be noted that, Figure 6 or Figure 7 In the embodiment shown, the method for the terminal device to select a cell to camp on is described by taking one cell corresponding to one CC as an example, so that "selecting a cell" is equivalent to "selecting a CC". However, in actual application, one cell can also correspond to multiple CCs. In this case, after the terminal device selects a cell to camp on, the terminal device also needs to select one CC from the multiple CCs corresponding to the cell to camp on. It should be understood that, Figure 6 or Figure 7 The technical concept of the embodiment shown is also applicable to the case where one cell corresponds to multiple CCs.

[0240] In the following, the technical concept of the embodiment shown in Figure 6 is applied to the scenario where one cell corresponds to multiple CCs.

[0241] As shown in Figure 8 , a CC camping method is provided in the embodiments of the present application. In the following introduction process, the method is taken as an example applied to the scenario shown in Figure 1 , and one cell corresponding to multiple CCs is taken as an example.

[0242] S801, the terminal device selects a first CC to camp on.

[0243] The first CC corresponds to a first cell, wherein the first cell corresponds to multiple CCs.

[0244] One possible way is that after the terminal device performs cell selection or reselection to camp on the first cell, the terminal device can select a CC with better signal condition to camp on based on the measurement results of the multiple CCs of the cell, or the terminal device selects the camping CC according to the preconfigured rule.

[0245] Exemplarily, the first cell corresponds to the first CC and the fourth CC, and the first CC can be a CC with a lower frequency point among the plurality of CCs or a default CC indicated by the system. If the RSRP of the first CC is higher than a preconfigured threshold value, the first CC is selected for camping, otherwise, the fourth CC is selected for camping.

[0246] In another possible manner, the first cell can only start one CC (or in other words, only activate one CC) by default. After the terminal device performs cell selection or reselection to camp on the first cell, the terminal device automatically camps on the started CC.

[0247] Exemplarily, the first cell only starts the first CC, and the fourth CC is temporarily not activated. After the terminal device performs cell selection or reselection to camp on the first CC, the network device can activate the fourth CC after detecting that the terminal device attempts to access the network device, for example, by detecting that the terminal device initiates RAP or MsgA or an uplink reference signal, and then activating the fourth CC. In this case, the terminal device automatically camps on the first CC after performing cell selection or reselection.

[0248] Of course, in the present embodiment, the first cell can also correspond to one CC. In this case, the specific implementation manner of S801 can refer to the specific implementation manner of S601, which will not be described here again.

[0249] S802, after the terminal device camps on the first CC, the network device sends a first message to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the first message from the network device.

[0250] The first message contains information of one or more CCs, which is not limited in the present application. When the first message contains information of a plurality of CCs, different CCs in the plurality of CCs can correspond to the same cell, for example, the first message contains information of the second CC and the third CC, and the second CC and the third CC both correspond to the second cell. Different CCs in the plurality of CCs can also correspond to different cells respectively, for example, the second CC corresponds to the second cell, and the third CC corresponds to the third cell, which is not limited herein. Optionally, the first message can also contain other CCs in addition to the first CC in the plurality of CCs corresponding to the first cell, for example, the first message also includes the fourth CC, the fourth CC corresponds to the first cell, and the fourth CC is different from the first CC.

[0251] It can be understood that when the first message contains information of a plurality of CCs, the method steps performed for each CC and the method steps performed for one CC are the same. Next, taking an example that the first message contains information of a fifth CC as an example, the fifth CC is different from the first CC, and the cell corresponding to the fifth CC is different from or the same as the first cell, for example, the fifth CC can be the second CC, the third CC or the fourth CC described above.

[0252] In the embodiments of the present application, the information of the fifth CC can include any one or more of the following:

[0253] 1) CC information of the fifth CC, i.e., frequency point information corresponding to the fifth CC, for example, a center frequency position corresponding to the fifth CC;

[0254] 2) an identifier of the fifth CC, i.e., an identifier corresponding to the fifth CC;

[0255] 3) downlink reference signal information of the fifth CC;

[0256] 4) a signal quality threshold of the fifth CC, i.e., a fifth signal quality threshold;

[0257] 5) resource allocation information of the fifth CC.

[0258] Here, the method steps performed for the fifth CC are the same as the method steps performed for the second cell in S602 above, and therefore the specific implementation of S802 can refer to the specific implementation in S602 above. For example, the message type of the first message, the resource carrying the first message, and the timing of sending the first message, etc. can refer to the related description in S602 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0259] S803, the terminal device sends a second message to the network device, and the network device receives the second message from the terminal device.

[0260] In the embodiments of the present application, the second message indicates the first CC and / or the fifth CC, or the second message contains measurement information of the first CC and / or the fifth CC. The specific content of the second message can be different according to whether the terminal device performs a judgment operation on whether the terminal device can camp on the fifth CC after receiving the first message from the network device and before sending the second message to the network device.

[0261] Here, the method steps performed for the fifth CC are the same as the method steps performed for the second cell in S603 above, and therefore the specific implementation of S803 can refer to the specific implementation in S603 above.

[0262] Optionally, the message type of the second message, the resource carrying the second message, and the timing of sending the second message, etc. can refer to the related description in S603 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0263] Optionally, referring to Figure 8 , the second message can be sent to the first CC (i.e., S803A in mode A), or can be sent to the fifth CC (i.e., S803B in mode B).

[0264] S804, the network device sends a third message to the terminal device, and the terminal device receives the third message from the network device.

[0265] The third message contains at least one of the following information:

[0266] 1) information of the sixth CC, i.e., frequency point information corresponding to the sixth CC, for example, a center frequency point position corresponding to the sixth CC. The information of the sixth CC can be the information of the first CC or the information of the fifth CC.

[0267] 2) an identifier of the sixth CC, i.e., an identifier corresponding to the sixth CC. The identifier of the sixth CC can be the identifier of the fifth CC or the identifier of the first CC.

[0268] The sixth CC is one of the first CC and the fifth CC.

[0269] The method steps performed for the sixth CC here are the same as the method steps performed for the third cell in S604 above, and therefore the specific implementation of S804 can refer to the specific implementation in S604 above. For example, the message type of the third message, the resource carrying the third message, and the timing of sending the third message can refer to the related description in S604 above, and will not be described here.

[0270] For example, referring to Figure 8 The third message can come from the first CC (i.e., S804A in mode A) or from the fifth CC (i.e., S804B in mode B).

[0271] S805, the terminal device determines, according to the third message, that the terminal device camps on the sixth CC, which is one of the first CC and the fifth CC.

[0272] In the embodiments of the present application, when the terminal device in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state camps on the first CC, the terminal device can notify the network device of the CCs on which the terminal device can camp (i.e., the second message indicates the first CC and / or the fifth CC), or notify the network device of the measurement information of the first CC and / or the fifth CC (i.e., the second message contains the measurement information of the first CC and / or the fifth CC), and then the network device can select the CC for the terminal device to camp on according to the overall load of the network, thereby ensuring the network load balancing between different CCs. Moreover, this process does not require the terminal device to perform RRC redirection, i.e., does not require the terminal device to return from the RRC connected state to the RRC idle state, so that the problem of service interruption of the terminal device caused by RRC redirection can be avoided. In addition, when the number of terminal devices in the CC (such as the first CC) on which the terminal device currently camps is too large, the terminal device can initiate random access in the virtually camped CC (such as the fifth CC), thereby alleviating the problem of tight random access resources in the first CC.

[0273] It should be understood that the above Figure 8 embodiments are described in the case of a scenario in which one cell corresponds to multiple CCs. Figure 6 The technical concept of the embodiments shown in the above Figure 7 The technical concept of the embodiments shown in the above Figure 8 The difference between the embodiments shown in the above

[0274] The above describes the method provided by the embodiments of the present application, and the following describes the device provided by the embodiments of the present application. Figures 6-8 The above describes the method provided by the embodiments of the present application, and the following describes the device provided by the embodiments of the present application. Figures 9-10 The above describes the method provided by the embodiments of the present application, and the following describes the device provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0275] It can be understood that, in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the network device and the terminal device include corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for performing each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and method steps of the examples described in the embodiments disclosed in the present application, the present application can be realized in the form of hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Whether a certain function is implemented in hardware, software, or computer software driven hardware, depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0276] Figure 9 and Figure 10 The above describes the method provided by the embodiments of the present application, and the following describes the device provided by the embodiments of the present application. Figure 1 The above describes the method provided by the embodiments of the present application, and the following describes the device provided by the embodiments of the present application. Figure 1 The above describes the method provided by the embodiments of the present application, and the following describes the device provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0277] As shown in the above Figure 9 The communication apparatus 900 includes a processing unit 910 and a transceiver unit 920. Optionally, the transceiver unit 920 can be further divided into a receiving unit and a sending unit.

[0278] The communication apparatus 900 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device or the network device in the method embodiments shown in the above Figures 6 to 8 The communication apparatus 900 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device or the network device in the method embodiments shown in the above

[0279] When the communication apparatus 900 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device or the network device in the method embodiments shown in the above Figure 6In the function of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown, the transceiver unit 920 can be used to receive a first message from the network device after the terminal device resides in the first cell, the first message including information of the second cell, the first cell corresponding to the first CC, and the second cell corresponding to the second CC; the transceiver unit 920 is also used to send a second message to the network device, the second message indicating the first cell and / or the second cell, or the second message including measurement information of the first cell and / or the second cell; the transceiver unit 920 is also used to receive a third message from the network device; the processing unit 910 can be used to determine that the terminal device resides in the third cell according to the third message, and the third cell is one of the first cell and the second cell.

[0280] When the communication device 900 is used to implement Figure 6 When the network device functions in the method embodiment shown, the transceiver unit 920 can be used to send a first message to the terminal device after the terminal device resides in the first cell, the first message including information of the second cell, the first cell corresponding to the first CC, and the second cell corresponding to the second CC; the transceiver unit 920 is also used to receive a second message from the terminal device, the second message indicating the first cell and / or the second cell, or the second message including measurement information of the first cell and / or the second cell; the transceiver unit 920 is also used to send a third message to the terminal device, the third message is used to indicate that the terminal device resides in the third cell, and the third cell is one of the first cell and the second cell; the processing unit 910 can be used to generate the first message and the third message.

[0281] When the communication device 900 is used to implement Figure 7 When the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown are discussed, the transceiver unit 920 can be used to receive a first message from the network device after the terminal device resides in the first cell, and the first message includes information about the second cell; the processing unit 910 can be used to determine that the terminal device resides in a third cell, and the third cell is one of the first cell and the second cell.

[0282] When the communication device 900 is used to implement Figure 7 When the network device functions in the method embodiment shown, the processing unit 910 can be used to generate a first message; the transceiver unit 920 can be used to send a first message to the terminal device after the terminal device resides in the first cell, and the first message includes information about the second cell. The first cell corresponds to the first CC, and the second cell corresponds to the second CC.

[0283] When the communication device 900 is used to implement Figure 8In the method embodiment shown, the transceiver 920 can be configured to receive a first message from the network device after the terminal device camps on the first CC, the first message comprising information of the fifth CC; the transceiver 920 can also be configured to send a second message to the network device, the second message indicating the first CC and / or the fifth CC, or the second message comprising measurement information of the first CC and / or the fifth CC; the transceiver 920 can also be configured to receive a third message from the network device; the processing unit 910 can be configured to determine, according to the third message, that the terminal device camps on the sixth CC, the sixth CC being one of the first CC and the fifth CC.

[0284] When the communication apparatus 900 is configured to implement the method shown, Figure 8 In the method embodiment shown, the transceiver 920 can be configured to send a first message to the terminal device after the terminal device camps on the first CC, the first message comprising information of the fifth CC; the transceiver 920 can also be configured to receive a second message from the terminal device, the second message indicating the first CC and / or the fifth CC, or the second message comprising measurement information of the first CC and / or the fifth CC; the transceiver 920 can also be configured to send a third message to the terminal device, the third message being used to instruct the terminal device to camp on the sixth CC, the sixth CC being one of the first CC and the fifth CC; the processing unit 910 can be configured to generate the first message and the third message.

[0285] For more detailed description of the processing unit 910 and the transceiver 920, please refer to the description above. Figures 6 to 8 The description of the method embodiment shown is directly obtained, and thus will not be repeated here.

[0286] As shown in the method embodiment shown, Figure 10 The communication apparatus 1000 comprises a processor 1010 and an interface circuit 1020. The processor 1010 and the interface circuit 1020 are coupled with each other. It can be understood that the interface circuit 1020 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication apparatus 1000 can further comprise a memory 1030, which is used to store instructions executed by the processor 1010 or store input data required by the processor 1010 to execute instructions or store data generated after the processor 1010 executes instructions.

[0287] When the communication apparatus 1000 is configured to implement the method shown, Figures 6 to 8 In the method embodiment shown, the processor 1010 is configured to implement the function of the processing unit 910, and the interface circuit 1020 is configured to implement the function of the transceiver 920.

[0288] When the communication apparatus is a chip applied to a terminal device, the terminal device chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiments. The terminal device chip receives information from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal device, and the information is sent by the network device to the terminal device; or the terminal device chip sends information to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal device, and the information is sent by the terminal device to the network device.

[0289] When the communication apparatus is a chip applied to a network device, the network device chip implements the functions of the network device in the method embodiments. The network device chip receives information from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the network device, and the information is sent by the terminal device to the network device; or the network device chip sends information to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the network device, and the information is sent by the network device to the terminal device.

[0290] The specific connection medium between the processor 1010, the memory 1030, and the interface circuit 1020 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In the embodiments of the present application, the processor 1010, the memory 1030, and the interface circuit 1020 are connected through a bus 1040, and the bus is represented by a thick line in the drawings. The connection mode between other components is only schematically illustrated, and is not limited. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For convenience, only one thick line is used to represent the bus in the drawings, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus. Figure 10 Figure 10 The connection mode between other components is only schematically illustrated, and is not limited. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For convenience, only one thick line is used to represent the bus in the drawings, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus. Figure 10

[0291] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by hardware or software. When implemented by hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, or the like. When implemented by software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor, which implements by reading software codes stored in the memory.

[0292] For example, the processor can be a central processing unit (CPU), and can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or the like. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor.​​

[0293] It should be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory can be a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Programmable ROM (PROM), an Erasable PROM (EPROM), an Electrically EPROM (EEPROM) or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a Random Access Memory (RAM) used as an external cache. By way of example but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as Static RAM (SRAM), Dynamic RAM (DRAM), Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), Enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM) and Direct Rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0294] It should be noted that when the processor is a general processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated in the processor.

[0295] It should be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0296] Based on the same technical concept, the embodiments of the present application also provide a computer readable storage medium, including programs or instructions, when the programs or instructions run on the computer, so that the method as Figures 6-8 in the description.

[0297] Based on the same technical concept, the embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product, including instructions, when it runs on the computer, so that the method as Figures 6-8 in the description is executed.

[0298] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the present application can be devised for a variety of other systems which are currently developed or later developed. Therefore, the present application is intended to cover all such modifications and variations of this application that are within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. It is intended that each element of claim 1 is implemented independently of each other element. None of the elements of claim 1, singly or in the combination

[0299] The present application is described in reference to the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the application. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart Figure 1 one or more functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks. Figure 1 one or more functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.

[0300] These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer- readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function specified in the flowchart block or blocks. Figure 1 one or more functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks. Figure 1 one or more functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.

[0301] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks. Figure 1 one or more functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks. Figure 1 Figure 1 one or more functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.

[0302] Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present application are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents, the application can be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

Claims

1. A cell residency method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a terminal device or a chip in the terminal device, and the method includes: After the terminal device resides in a first cell, receiving a first message from a network device, where the first message includes information about a second cell, where the first cell corresponds to a first component carrier (CC), and the second cell corresponds to a second CC; When the terminal device is in a radio resource control RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state, sending a second message to the network device, where the second message indicates the first cell and / or the second cell, or the second message includes measurement information of the first cell and / or the second cell; Receive a third message from the network device, and determine, based on the third message, that the terminal device resides in a third cell, where the third cell is one of the first cell and the second cell.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The information of the second cell includes: CC information of the second cell; and / or, The cell identifier of the second cell.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The information of the second cell may further include any one or more of the following: downlink reference signal information of the second cell; a signal quality threshold of the second cell; Resource allocation information of the second cell.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein After receiving the first message from the network device and before sending the second message to the network device, the method further includes: searching for system information of the second cell according to CC information and / or cell identifier of the second cell; The system message of the second cell includes any one or more of the following: downlink reference signal information of the second cell; a signal quality threshold of the second cell; Resource allocation information of the second cell.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that After the terminal device camps on the first cell and before receiving the first message from the network device, the method further includes: A fourth message is sent to the network device, where the fourth message is used to initiate a radio resource control RRC connection establishment process, an RRC re-establishment process, or an RRC recovery process.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that After receiving the first message from the network device and before sending the second message to the network device, the method further includes: Determine whether the terminal device can reside in the second cell based on the information of the second cell.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein The determining, according to the information of the second cell, whether camping on the second cell is possible includes: If the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is higher than or equal to the signal quality threshold of the second cell, the terminal device can reside in the second cell; if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is lower than the signal quality threshold of the second cell, the terminal device cannot reside in the second cell; or, If the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is higher than or equal to the sum of the signal quality threshold and the offset value of the second cell, the terminal device can reside in the second cell. If the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is lower than the sum of the signal quality threshold and the offset value of the second cell, the terminal device cannot reside in the second cell.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein The determining, according to the information of the second cell, whether camping on the second cell is possible includes: If the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is higher than the signal quality threshold of the second cell, the terminal device can reside in the second cell; if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is lower than or equal to the signal quality threshold of the second cell, the terminal device cannot reside in the second cell; or If the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is higher than the sum of the signal quality threshold and the offset value of the second cell, the terminal device can reside in the second cell. If the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is lower than or equal to the sum of the signal quality threshold and the offset value of the second cell, the terminal device cannot reside in the second cell.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The sending a second message to the network device includes: sending the second message to the network device based on resources of the first cell; or, The second message is sent to the network device based on the resources of the second cell.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The second message includes any one or more of the following: CC information of the first cell; a cell identifier of the first cell; signal quality information of a downlink reference signal of the first cell; CC information of the second cell; a cell identifier of the second cell; Signal quality information of a downlink reference signal of the second cell.

11. A cell residency method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a network device or a chip in the network device, and the method includes: After the terminal device camps on the first cell, sending a first message to the terminal device, where the first message includes information about a second cell, where the first cell corresponds to a first component carrier (CC), and the second cell corresponds to a second CC; Receiving a second message from the terminal device in a radio resource control RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state, where the second message indicates the first cell and / or the second cell, or the second message includes measurement information of the first cell and / or the second cell; A third message is sent to the terminal device, where the third message is used to instruct the terminal device to reside in a third cell, where the third cell is one of the first cell and the second cell.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The information of the second cell includes: CC information of the second cell; and / or, The cell identifier of the second cell.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The information of the second cell may further include any one or more of the following: downlink reference signal information of the second cell; a signal quality threshold of the second cell; Resource allocation information of the second cell.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein: After sending the first message to the terminal device and before receiving the second message from the terminal device, the method further includes: sending a system message of the second cell; The system message of the second cell includes any one or more of the following: downlink reference signal information of the second cell; a signal quality threshold of the second cell; Resource allocation information of the second cell.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein: After the terminal device camps on the first cell and before sending the first message to the terminal device, the method further includes: Receive a fourth message from the terminal device, where the fourth message is used to initiate a radio resource control RRC connection establishment process, an RRC re-establishment process, or an RRC recovery process.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein: The receiving a second message from the terminal device includes: receiving the second message from the terminal device based on resources of the first cell; or, The second message is received from the terminal device based on the resources of the second cell.

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein: The second message includes any one or more of the following: CC information of the first cell; a cell identifier of the first cell; signal quality information of a downlink reference signal of the first cell; CC information of the second cell; a cell identifier of the second cell; Signal quality information of a downlink reference signal of the second cell.

18. A device for a terminal device, characterized in that: The device comprises: a receiving unit, configured to receive a first message from a network device after the terminal device resides in the first cell, where the first message includes information about a second cell, where the first cell corresponds to a first component carrier (CC), and the second cell corresponds to a second CC; a sending unit, configured to send a second message to the network device when the terminal device is in a radio resource control RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state, where the second message indicates the first cell and / or the second cell, or the second message includes measurement information of the first cell and / or the second cell; The receiving unit is further configured to receive a third message from the network device; A processing unit is used to determine that the terminal device resides in a third cell based on the third message, and the third cell is one of the first cell and the second cell.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein The information of the second cell includes: CC information of the second cell; and / or, The cell identifier of the second cell.

20. The device according to claim 19, wherein The information of the second cell may further include any one or more of the following: downlink reference signal information of the second cell; a signal quality threshold of the second cell; Resource allocation information of the second cell.

21. The device according to claim 19, wherein The processing unit is further configured to: After the receiving unit receives the first message from the network device, and before the sending unit sends the second message to the network device, searching for a system message of the second cell according to the CC information and / or cell identifier of the second cell; The system message of the second cell includes any one or more of the following: downlink reference signal information of the second cell; a signal quality threshold of the second cell; Resource allocation information of the second cell.

22. The device according to any one of claims 18 to 21, characterized in that The sending unit is further configured to: After the terminal device resides in the first cell and before the receiving unit receives the first message from the network device, a fourth message is sent to the network device, where the fourth message is used to initiate a radio resource control RRC connection establishment process, an RRC re-establishment process, or an RRC recovery process.

23. The device according to any one of claims 18 to 21, characterized in that The processing unit is further configured to: After the receiving unit receives the first message from the network device and before the sending unit sends the second message to the network device, it is determined whether the terminal device can reside in the second cell based on the information of the second cell.

24. The device according to claim 23, wherein When the processing unit is used to determine whether camping on the second cell is possible according to the information of the second cell, the processing unit is specifically used to: If the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is higher than or equal to the signal quality threshold of the second cell, it is determined that the terminal device can reside in the second cell; if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is lower than the signal quality threshold of the second cell, it is determined that the terminal device cannot reside in the second cell; or If the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is higher than or equal to the sum of the signal quality threshold and the offset value of the second cell, it is judged that the terminal device can reside in the second cell. If the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is lower than the sum of the signal quality threshold and the offset value of the second cell, it is judged that the terminal device cannot reside in the second cell.

25. The device according to claim 23, wherein When the processing unit is used to determine whether camping on the second cell is possible according to the information of the second cell, the processing unit is specifically used to: If the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is higher than the signal quality threshold of the second cell, it is determined that the terminal device can reside in the second cell; if the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is lower than or equal to the signal quality threshold of the second cell, it is determined that the terminal device cannot reside in the second cell; or If the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is higher than the sum of the signal quality threshold and the offset value of the second cell, it is judged that the terminal device can reside in the second cell. If the signal quality of the downlink reference signal of the second cell is lower than or equal to the sum of the signal quality threshold and the offset value of the second cell, it is judged that the terminal device cannot reside in the second cell.

26. The device according to any one of claims 18 to 21, characterized in that When the sending unit is used to send the second message to the network device, the sending unit is specifically used to: sending the second message to the network device based on resources of the first cell; or, The second message is sent to the network device based on the resources of the second cell.

27. The device according to any one of claims 18 to 21, characterized in that The second message includes any one or more of the following: CC information of the first cell; a cell identifier of the first cell; signal quality information of a downlink reference signal of the first cell; CC information of the second cell; a cell identifier of the second cell; Signal quality information of a downlink reference signal of the second cell.

28. A device for a network device, characterized in that: The device comprises: a sending unit, configured to send a first message to the terminal device after the terminal device camps on the first cell, where the first message includes information about the second cell, where the first cell corresponds to a first component carrier CC, and the second cell corresponds to a second CC; a receiving unit, configured to receive a second message from the terminal device in a radio resource control RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state, where the second message indicates the first cell and / or the second cell, or the second message includes measurement information of the first cell and / or the second cell; The sending unit is further used to send a third message to the terminal device, where the third message is used to instruct the terminal device to reside in a third cell, and the third cell is one of the first cell and the second cell.

29. The device according to claim 28, wherein The information of the second cell includes: CC information of the second cell; and / or, The cell identifier of the second cell.

30. The device according to claim 29, wherein The information of the second cell may further include any one or more of the following: downlink reference signal information of the second cell; a signal quality threshold of the second cell; Resource allocation information of the second cell.

31. The device according to claim 29, wherein The sending unit is further configured to: After the sending unit sends the first message to the terminal device and before the receiving unit receives the second message from the terminal device, sending the system message of the second cell; The system message of the second cell includes any one or more of the following: downlink reference signal information of the second cell; a signal quality threshold of the second cell; Resource allocation information of the second cell.

32. The device according to any one of claims 28 to 31, characterized in that The receiving unit is further configured to: After the terminal device resides in the first cell, and before the sending unit sends the first message to the terminal device, a fourth message is received from the terminal device, where the fourth message is used to initiate a radio resource control RRC connection establishment process, an RRC re-establishment process, or an RRC recovery process.

33. The device according to any one of claims 28 to 31, characterized in that When the receiving unit is used to receive the second message from the terminal device, it is specifically used to: receiving the second message from the terminal device based on resources of the first cell; or, The second message is received from the terminal device based on the resources of the second cell.

34. The device according to any one of claims 28 to 31, characterized in that The second message includes any one or more of the following: CC information of the first cell; a cell identifier of the first cell; signal quality information of a downlink reference signal of the first cell; CC information of the second cell; a cell identifier of the second cell; Signal quality information of a downlink reference signal of the second cell.

35. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor and a memory, wherein the processor and the memory are coupled, and the processor is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

36. A communication device, characterized in that The method comprises a processor and a memory, wherein the processor and the memory are coupled, and the processor is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 11 to 17.

37. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor or send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device, and the processor is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 through a logic circuit or executing code instructions.

38. A communication device, characterized in that: It includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor or send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device, and the processor is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 11 to 17 through a logic circuit or executing code instructions.

39. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 or 11 to 17 is implemented.

40. A communication system, characterized in that: The method comprises the device according to any one of claims 18 to 27 and the device according to any one of claims 28 to 34.

Images