Information acquisition method, information provision method, apparatus, device, and storage medium

Abstract

An information acquisition method, an information provision method, an apparatus, a device, and a storage medium, relate to the technical field of communication. The method is executed by a terminal device, the terminal device camps on a serving cell, and the method comprises: acquiring reference time information of a target cell, the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell being higher than the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell. Based on the method, the terminal device can acquire accurate reference time information for time synchronization.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to an information acquisition method, information provision method, apparatus, device, and storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) established an enhancement project for high reliability and low latency, the main technical enhancements of which include support for Time-Sensitive Communication (TSC) services.

[0003] To ensure the precise transmission latency requirements of TSC services, accurate time synchronization within the communication system is necessary. In this process, network devices provide time synchronization information to terminal devices by sending reference time information, which includes the reference system frame number (SFN) and the reference time (hours, minutes, and seconds).

[0004] When terminal devices are camped on Long Term Evolution (LTE) cells, there is still no good solution from relevant technologies for how terminal devices can obtain accurate reference time information for time synchronization. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides an information acquisition method, an information provision method, an apparatus, a device, and a storage medium. The technical solution is as follows:

[0006] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, an information acquisition method is provided, the method being executed by a terminal device residing in a serving cell, the method comprising:

[0007] Obtain reference time information for the target cell, wherein the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell.

[0008] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, an information provision method is provided, the method being executed by a network device, the method comprising:

[0009] The terminal device is provided with reference time information of the target cell, the terminal device is camped on the serving cell, and the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell.

[0010] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, an information processing apparatus is provided, the apparatus residing in a serving cell, the apparatus comprising: an information acquisition module;

[0011] The information acquisition module is used to acquire reference time information of the target cell, wherein the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell.

[0012] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, an information providing apparatus is provided, the apparatus comprising: an information providing module;

[0013] The information providing module is used to provide reference time information of the target cell to the terminal device, wherein the terminal device is camped on the serving cell, and the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell.

[0014] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, a terminal device is provided, the terminal device residing in a serving cell, the terminal device including a transceiver;

[0015] The transceiver is used to obtain reference time information of the target cell, wherein the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell.

[0016] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, a network device is provided, the network device including a transceiver;

[0017] The transceiver is used to provide reference time information of the target cell to the terminal device, the terminal device camps on the serving cell, and the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell.

[0018] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein a computer program is stored in the storage medium and the computer program is executed by a processor to implement the above-described information acquisition method on the terminal device side or the information provision method on the network device side.

[0019] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, a chip is provided, the chip including programmable logic circuits and / or program instructions, which, when the chip is running, are used to implement the above-described information acquisition method on the terminal device side or the information provision method on the network device side.

[0020] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, a computer program product or computer program is provided, the computer program product or computer program including computer instructions, the computer instructions being stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and a processor reading from the computer-readable storage medium and executing the computer instructions to implement the above-described information acquisition method on the terminal device side or the information provision method on the network device side.

[0021] The technical solution provided in this application can bring the following beneficial effects:

[0022] When a terminal device is camped on a serving cell, it obtains the reference time information of the target cell. Since the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than that of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell, the accuracy of the reference time information of the target cell is generally higher than that of the reference time information of the serving cell, thus helping the terminal device to obtain reference time information with higher accuracy. Attached Figure Description

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of a communication system provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an EN-DC architecture provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of various dual-connection architectures provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of an information acquisition method provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of an information acquisition method provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of an information acquisition method provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0030] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the association between measurement reporting configuration information and measurement object configuration information provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of an information acquisition method provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 9 This is a block diagram of an information acquisition device provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 10 This is a block diagram of an information providing apparatus provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0035] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the embodiments of this application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0037] Please refer to Figure 1 The diagram illustrates a block diagram of a communication system provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application, which may include a terminal device 10 and an access network device 20.

[0038] Terminal equipment 10 can refer to user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user device. Optionally, terminal equipment 10 can also be a cellular phone, cordless phone, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, vehicle-mounted device, wearable device, terminal equipment in a 5th Generation System (5GS), or terminal equipment in a future Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), etc., and this application embodiment is not limited in this respect. For ease of description, the devices mentioned above are collectively referred to as terminal equipment. The number of terminal equipment 10 is usually multiple, and one or more terminal equipment 10 can be distributed within the cell managed by each access network device 20.

[0039] Access network device 20 is a device deployed in an access network to provide wireless communication functionality to terminal device 10. Access network device 20 may include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations, relay stations, access points, etc. In systems employing different wireless access technologies, the name of the device with access network device functionality may differ; for example, in a 5G NR system, it is called gNodeB or gNB. As communication technologies evolve, the name "access network device" may change. For ease of description, in this embodiment, the aforementioned devices providing wireless communication functionality to terminal device 10 are collectively referred to as access network devices. Optionally, a communication relationship can be established between terminal device 10 and core network equipment through access network device 20. For example, in an LTE system, access network device 20 may be one or more eNodeBs in an Evolved-Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) or E-UTRAN; in a 5G New Radio (NR) system, access network device 20 may be one or more gNBs in a Radio Access Network (RAN) or RAN. In this embodiment of the application, unless otherwise specified, the network device refers to access network device 20, such as a base station.

[0040] The "5G NR system" in this application embodiment can also be referred to as a 5G system or an NR system, but those skilled in the art will understand its meaning. The technical solutions described in this application embodiment can be applied to LTE systems, 5G NR systems, subsequent evolution systems of 5G NR systems, and other communication systems such as Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) systems. This application does not limit these applications.

[0041] Before introducing the technical solution of this application, some terms involved in this application will be explained.

[0042] 1. Multi-RAT Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) technology

[0043] Currently, with people's pursuit of speed, latency, high-speed mobility, and energy efficiency, as well as the diversity and complexity of services in future life, the 3GPP international standards organization has begun to develop 5G. The main application scenarios of 5G are: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC), and massive machine-type communication (mMTC).

[0044] eMBB still aims to provide users with multimedia content, services, and data, and its demand is growing rapidly. On the other hand, because eMBB may be deployed in different scenarios, such as indoors, urban areas, and rural areas, its capabilities and needs vary considerably. Therefore, generalizations cannot be made; a detailed analysis based on the specific deployment scenario is necessary. Typical applications of URLLC include industrial automation, power automation, remote medical operations (such as surgery), and traffic safety assurance. Typical characteristics of mMTC include high connection density, small data volume, latency-insensitive services, low module cost, and long module lifespan.

[0045] In the early stages of New Radio (NR) deployment, complete NR coverage was difficult to achieve. Therefore, typical network coverage consisted of wide-area LTE coverage and isolated NR coverage. Furthermore, a large portion of LTE deployments were below 6 GHz, leaving very little spectrum available for 5G. Therefore, NR needed to explore spectrum applications above 6 GHz, but high-frequency band coverage was limited and signal fading was rapid. Simultaneously, to protect mobile operators' initial investments in LTE, a tight-interworking mode between LTE and NR was proposed.

[0046] To expedite 5G network deployment and commercial applications, 3GPP completed its first 5G version, LTE-NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC), by the end of 2017. In this version, the LTE base station acts as the master node (MN), and the NR base station acts as the secondary node (SN). The network deployment and architecture are as follows: Figure 2 As shown, LTE base stations 210 and 212 are MN, and NR base stations 220 and 222 are SN.

[0047] The MN primarily provides RRC control functions and a control plane to the core network (CN), while the SN can be configured with auxiliary signaling, such as Signaling Radio Bearers 3 (SRB3), which mainly provides data transmission functions.

[0048] In the later stages of R15, except for EN-DC (such as...) Figure 3 In addition to (a) shown in the figure, other DC modes will be supported, such as: 5GC-EN-DC, etc. Figure 3 As shown in (b), the LTE base station acts as the MN, the NR base station acts as the SN, and the connected core network is the 5G core network (5GCore, 5GC); NR-LTE dual connectivity (LTE-E-UTRAN Dual Connectivity, NE-DC), as... Figure 3 As shown in (c), the NR base station acts as the MN, and the LTE base station acts as the SN; NR-DC, as... Figure 3 As shown in (d), the NR base station acts as the MN, and the NR base station acts as the SN. For EN-DC, the core network for access network connection is the Evolved Packet Core (EPC), while the core network for other DC mode connections is the 5G core network.

[0049] 2. Reference Time Information

[0050] To better support applications in vertical industries, such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and smart grids, 3GPP established the High Reliability and Low Latency Enhancement Project. The design goal is to support time synchronization accuracy of 1µs, air interface latency of 0.5ms, and 99.999% reliable transmission. Key technical enhancements include support for Time Sensitive Communication (TSC), enhanced data replication and multi-link capabilities, and enhanced intra-user priority / multiplexing.

[0051] To ensure the precise transmission latency requirements of TSC services, accurate intra-system time synchronization is necessary. In this process, the base station provides time synchronization information to the terminal device by including a Reference Time Information Element (IE) in the SIB9 or Downlink Information Transfer (DLInformationTransfer), which includes the reference system frame number (SFN) and reference time (hours, minutes, and seconds).

[0052] For LTE systems, the configuration of the reference time information cell is as follows:

[0053]

[0054] For NR systems, the configuration of reference time information cells is as follows:

[0055]

[0056] As can be seen from the configuration of reference time information cells in the two communication systems described above, the NR system can provide reference time information with higher accuracy compared to the LTE system. For example, the minimum granularity of synchronization time in the LTE system is 1 / 4 microsecond, while the minimum granularity of synchronization time in the NR system is 10 nanoseconds. However, for EN-DC or LTE Standalone (SA) architectures, terminal devices can only obtain reference time information based on the reference time information cells acquired in the LTE system to determine the synchronization time. This application's embodiments discuss how terminal devices can obtain more accurate reference time information for these two architectures.

[0057] In this embodiment of the application, when the terminal device is camped on the serving cell, the terminal device obtains the reference time information of the target cell. Since the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell, the accuracy of the reference time information of the target cell is generally higher than the accuracy of the reference time information of the serving cell, thereby helping the terminal device to obtain reference time information with higher accuracy.

[0058] The technical solution of this application will be described and illustrated below through several embodiments.

[0059] Please refer to Figure 4 The diagram illustrates a flowchart of an information acquisition method provided in one embodiment of this application. This method can be applied to... Figure 1 In the communication system shown, the method may include the following steps:

[0060] Step 402: The network device provides the terminal device with the reference time information of the target cell.

[0061] Step 404: The terminal device obtains the reference time information of the target cell. The version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell.

[0062] In this embodiment of the application, the terminal device resides in the serving cell, the target cell is a neighboring cell different from the serving cell, and the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell. Then the terminal device obtains the reference time information provided by the target cell.

[0063] Optionally, since the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell, the accuracy of the reference time information of the target cell is higher than the accuracy of the reference time information of the serving cell.

[0064] The version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than that of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell. This can be understood as follows: the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is a later version compared to the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell; the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is an evolution of the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell; the performance of the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is better than that of the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell, and so on.

[0065] For example, the target cell corresponds to an NR system, and the serving cell corresponds to an LTE system.

[0066] For example, the terminal device is in an EN-DC architecture or an LTE SA architecture.

[0067] Optionally, the terminal device obtains the reference time information of the target cell from the target cell. Alternatively, the terminal device obtains the reference time information of the target cell from another cell that has established a connection with the target cell, such as the serving cell. Specific details will be described in the following embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0068] In summary, the method provided in this embodiment allows the terminal device to obtain reference time information of the target cell when the terminal device is camped on the serving cell. Since the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than that of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell, the accuracy of the reference time information of the target cell is generally higher than that of the reference time information of the serving cell, thereby helping the terminal device to obtain reference time information with higher accuracy.

[0069] In this embodiment of the application, when a terminal device sends information to a cell, it can be understood as the terminal device sending information to the network device corresponding to that cell; when a cell sends information to a terminal device, it can be understood as the network device corresponding to that cell sending information to the terminal device.

[0070] In an exemplary embodiment, the scheme by which the terminal device obtains the reference time information of the target cell includes at least one of the following:

[0071] (1) Perform measurement to determine the first cell; receive the broadcast message of the first cell and obtain the first reference time information from the broadcast message.

[0072] Accordingly, in response to the terminal device performing measurement to determine the first cell, the first cell sends a broadcast message carrying the first reference time information.

[0073] That is, the terminal device determines the target cell as the first cell by performing measurements on the neighboring cells of the serving cell, and obtains the first reference time information from the first cell.

[0074] (2) Receive measurement reporting configuration information, determine the second cell based on the measurement reporting configuration information; receive the broadcast message of the second cell, and obtain the second reference time information from the broadcast message.

[0075] Accordingly, the serving cell sends measurement reporting configuration information to the terminal device, which is used to instruct the second cell; the second cell sends a broadcast message, which carries the second reference time information.

[0076] That is, the terminal device receives the measurement reporting configuration information, determines the target cell as the second cell based on the configuration of the measurement reporting configuration information, and obtains the second reference time information from the second cell.

[0077] (3) In response to the terminal device being in the EN-DC dual connectivity architecture, obtain the third reference time information provided by the third cell corresponding to the SN, the serving cell is the LTE cell and the third cell is the NR cell.

[0078] Correspondingly, in response to the terminal device being in the EN-DC dual connectivity architecture, the network device provides the terminal device with the third reference time information of the third cell corresponding to the SN, where the serving cell is the LTE cell and the third cell is the NR cell.

[0079] That is, when the terminal device is in the EN-DC dual connectivity architecture, the serving cell where the terminal device is stationed is the LTE cell, the third cell corresponding to the SN is the NR cell, and the terminal device obtains the third reference time information provided by the third cell.

[0080] The three solutions described above will be illustrated below.

[0081] (1) The terminal device performs measurement to determine the first cell; the terminal device receives the broadcast message of the first cell and obtains the first reference time information from the broadcast message.

[0082] Please refer to Figure 5 The diagram illustrates a flowchart of an information acquisition method provided in one embodiment of this application. This method can be applied to... Figure 1 In the communication system shown, the method may include the following steps:

[0083] Step 502: Configure the cell to send at least one measurement object configuration information to the terminal device. The measurement object configuration information is used to configure the measurement object.

[0084] Among them, the configured cell is the serving cell where the terminal device is camped, or the configured cell is the cell where the terminal device camped before the connection was released.

[0085] Step 504: The terminal device receives at least one measurement object configuration information sent by the configuration cell.

[0086] Optionally, the configuration cell sends a first message to the terminal device; the terminal device receives the first message sent by the configuration cell, the first message carrying at least one measurement object configuration information; wherein, when the terminal device is in an inactive or idle state, the first message includes: a Radio Resource Control Release (RRC Release) message and a system broadcast message; when the terminal device is in a connected state, the first message includes: an RRC message and a system broadcast message.

[0087] For example, the terminal device receives an RRCRelease message sent by the cell it was camped on before the connection was released. The RRCRelease message carries at least one measurement object configuration information. After the connection is released, the terminal device is in RRC_INACTIVE (i.e., inactive state) or RRC_IDLE (i.e., idle state).

[0088] For example, when the terminal device is in RRC_INACTIVE (i.e., inactive state) or RRC_IDLE (i.e., idle state), it receives a system broadcast message sent by the currently serving cell. The system broadcast message carries at least one measurement object configuration information.

[0089] For example, when the terminal device is in the RRC_CONNECTED state (i.e., connected state), it receives an RRC message sent by the serving cell to which it is currently stationed. The RRC message carries at least one measurement object configuration information.

[0090] For example, when the terminal device is in the RRC_CONNECTED state (i.e., connected state), it receives a system broadcast message sent by the serving cell to which it is currently stationed. The system broadcast message carries at least one measurement object configuration information.

[0091] Optionally, the first message may also include a third indication, which indicates whether the terminal device can obtain reference time information from other cells.

[0092] For example, if the third indication information indicates that the terminal device can obtain reference time information from other cells, the terminal device will perform the following steps in this embodiment. For example, if the third indication information indicates that the terminal device cannot obtain reference time information from other cells, the terminal device will not perform the following steps in this embodiment.

[0093] Step 506: The terminal device performs a measurement based on the configuration information of at least one measurement object and obtains the measurement result.

[0094] That is, the terminal device performs measurement on at least one measurement object in the measurement object configuration information according to at least one measurement object configuration information, and obtains the measurement result.

[0095] Optionally, the measurement object includes at least one of the following: the frequency point being measured and the reference signal being measured.

[0096] In other words, the measurement object configuration information carries the measurement frequency and the measurement reference signal, which is used to indicate the measurement of the reference signal under the cell / frequency, so that the terminal device can obtain the measurement result.

[0097] For example, the reference signals include: the Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) and the Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS).

[0098] Step 508: The terminal device determines the first cell based on the measurement results.

[0099] That is, the terminal device determines the first cell in at least one cell based on the strength of the signal quality indicated by the measurement results.

[0100] Optionally, the terminal device may determine the first cell based on the measurement results using any of the following methods:

[0101] Method 1: The cell with the strongest signal quality is designated as the first cell.

[0102] In one possible implementation, after obtaining the measurement results, the terminal device directly identifies the cell with the strongest signal quality as the first cell.

[0103] In another possible implementation, the terminal device reports the cell with the strongest signal quality to the serving cell; the terminal device receives second indication information sent by the serving cell, the second indication information indicating whether it is permissible to designate the cell with the strongest signal quality as the first cell; in response to the second indication information indicating that it is permissible to designate the cell with the strongest signal quality as the first cell, the terminal device determines the cell with the strongest signal quality as the first cell. Correspondingly, the serving cell receives the cell with the strongest signal quality reported by the terminal device; the serving cell sends second indication information indicating whether it is permissible to designate the cell with the strongest signal quality as the first cell.

[0104] For example, the terminal device reports the cell with the strongest signal quality to the serving cell in the following way: the terminal device responds to the measurement reporting configuration in the measurement reporting configuration information issued by the network device and reports the cell with the strongest signal quality to the serving cell.

[0105] Method 2: The cell with signal quality not less than the first threshold is identified as the first cell.

[0106] Optionally, the first threshold is indicated to the terminal device by the network device. For example, the first threshold is indicated to the terminal device by the configured cell via the first message described above.

[0107] Optionally, the first threshold is predefined in the communication protocol.

[0108] Optionally, if there are more than one cell with signal quality not less than the first threshold, the terminal device may select any cell with signal quality not less than the first threshold as the first cell.

[0109] Method 3: Report the measurement results to the serving cell; receive the first indication information sent by the serving cell, which is used to indicate the first cell; determine the first cell based on the first indication information.

[0110] Accordingly, the serving cell receives the measurement results reported by the terminal device; the serving cell sends a first indication message to the terminal device, the first indication message being used to indicate the first cell.

[0111] In one possible implementation, the terminal device periodically reports measurement results to the serving cell. For example, the duration of the period is predefined in the communication protocol, or it is indicated to the terminal device by the serving cell.

[0112] In another possible implementation, the terminal device reports measurement results to the serving cell based on the triggering of measurement reporting events defined in the prior art. For example, measurement reporting events include: event A1, event A2, event A3, event A4, event A5, event A6, event B1, and event B2.

[0113] In another possible implementation, a new measurement reporting event is introduced. Based on the triggering of this measurement reporting event, the terminal device reports the measurement results to the serving cell. For example, this measurement reporting event is indicated to the terminal device by the serving cell through the measurement reporting configuration.

[0114] Optionally, in addition to determining the first cell based on the measurement results through the three possible implementation methods described in step 508 above, the terminal device can also determine the first cell through the following method four.

[0115] Method 4: Configure the cell to display the first cell in the first message.

[0116] That is, the configuration cell displays the first cell through the first message, and the terminal device determines the first cell according to the instruction of the first message.

[0117] For example, when the terminal device is in an inactive or idle state, the terminal device determines the first cell using any one of the methods described in Method 1, Method 2, and Method 4 above. For example, when the terminal device is in a connected state, the terminal device determines the first cell using any one of the methods described in Method 1, Method 2, Method 3, and Method 4 above.

[0118] Step 510: The first cell sends a broadcast message, which carries the first reference time information.

[0119] Step 512: The terminal device receives the broadcast message from the first cell and obtains the first reference time information from the broadcast message.

[0120] Optionally, in response to the configuration information of the measurement object, the terminal device starts a first timer; during the operation of the first timer, the terminal device receives a broadcast message from the first cell and obtains the first reference time information from the broadcast message.

[0121] For example, when the terminal device is in a connected state, the first message sent by the network device, which carries at least one measurement object configuration information, also includes a measurement window. After receiving the measurement object configuration information in the first message, the terminal device starts a first timer and obtains accurate first reference time information during the operation of the first timer (i.e., the measurement window).

[0122] Optionally, the terminal device receives the broadcast message from the first cell and reads the target system information block (SIB) in the broadcast message to obtain the first reference time information. That is, the target SIB in the broadcast message of the first cell carries the first reference time information.

[0123] Optionally, the target SIB includes SIB9. It is understood that the target SIB can also be other types of SIBs, and this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0124] Optionally, if the target SIB is not detected in the broadcast message of the first cell, the terminal device will also perform the following steps: reselect the first cell.

[0125] For example, the terminal device identifies the cell with the second strongest signal quality as the first cell.

[0126] For example, the terminal device reselects a first cell from among cells with signal quality not less than a first threshold. Optionally, the first threshold is indicated to the terminal device by the network device. For example, the first threshold is indicated to the terminal device by configuring the cell via the first message as described above. Optionally, the first threshold is predefined in the communication protocol.

[0127] In summary, the method provided in this embodiment, when the terminal device is camped on a serving cell, determines a first cell with better signal quality as the target cell by performing measurements. Since the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell, the accuracy of the reference time information of the target cell is generally higher than the accuracy of the reference time information of the serving cell, thereby helping the terminal device obtain reference time information with higher accuracy.

[0128] Meanwhile, the method provided in this embodiment offers multiple ways for terminal devices to perform measurements and determine the first cell, helping terminal devices to efficiently determine the first cell and then obtain reference time information through the first cell.

[0129] Meanwhile, the method provided in this embodiment ensures that if the terminal device fails to obtain the first reference time information from the currently determined first cell, it will reselect the first cell to obtain the first reference time information in the reselected first cell, thus ensuring that the terminal device effectively obtains the first reference time information.

[0130] (2) The terminal device receives the measurement reporting configuration information and determines the second cell based on the measurement reporting configuration information; the terminal device receives the broadcast message of the second cell and obtains the second reference time information from the broadcast message.

[0131] Please refer to Figure 6 The diagram illustrates a flowchart of an information acquisition method provided in one embodiment of this application. This method can be applied to... Figure 1 In the communication system shown, the method may include the following steps:

[0132] Step 602: The serving cell sends measurement reporting configuration information to the terminal device. The measurement reporting configuration information includes a first reporting type, which includes a physical cell identifier. The physical cell identifier is used to indicate the second cell.

[0133] Optionally, step 602 includes: the serving cell instructing the terminal device to perform measurement reporting; the terminal device performing the measurement based on the instruction and then reporting the measurement results to the serving cell; and the serving cell sending measurement reporting configuration information to the terminal device based on the measurement results.

[0134] Optionally, when the network device detects the arrival of a specific service, it instructs the terminal device to report the measurement. Examples of specific services include: URLLC services and TSN services.

[0135] Step 604: The terminal device receives the measurement reporting configuration information sent by the serving cell.

[0136] Measurement reporting configuration information is a type of information used to configure the measurement reporting of terminal devices.

[0137] Optionally, the terminal device receives measurement configuration information sent by the serving cell. This measurement configuration information includes associated measurement reporting configuration information and measurement object configuration information, the latter used to configure the measurement object. Correspondingly, the serving cell sends measurement configuration information to the terminal device, also including associated measurement reporting configuration information and measurement object configuration information, the latter used to configure the measurement object.

[0138] For example, in conjunction with the reference Figure 7 The measurement reporting configuration information and the measurement object configuration information are associated through the measurement identifier. For example, measurement identifier 1 corresponds to the associated measurement object 1 and reporting configuration 1, which is used to instruct the terminal device to determine the second cell based on the reporting configuration 1 and obtain the second reference time information from the second cell in measurement object 1.

[0139] Optionally, the measurement reporting configuration information is carried in the RRC dedicated signaling. That is, in this embodiment, the terminal device is in a connected state, and the terminal device obtains the measurement reporting configuration information through the RRC dedicated signaling.

[0140] Step 606: The terminal device determines the second cell based on the physical cell identifier in the first reporting type.

[0141] The first reporting type includes a Physical Cell Identity (PCI), which instructs the terminal device to obtain the reference time information of the second cell corresponding to the PCI. It is understood that the first reporting type may also carry other types of identifiers to help the terminal device determine the second cell; this embodiment does not impose any limitations on this.

[0142] Optionally, the first reporting type is a new reporting type introduced in the measurement reporting configuration information. The first reporting type is used to instruct the terminal device to obtain accurate reference time information.

[0143] Optionally, the first reporting type may also include a fourth indication information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal device uses an autonomous interval (gap) when acquiring the second reference time information.

[0144] The terminal device performs measurements within a gap, which typically includes: a gap configured by the network device; or, an autonomous gap. If the fourth indication information instructs the terminal device whether to use the autonomous gap when acquiring the second reference time information, the terminal device uses the autonomous gap when performing measurements.

[0145] For example, the measurement reporting configuration information (ReportConfigNR) includes a first reporting type, which is denoted as ReportRefTime.

[0146] The ReportRefTime includes cellForWhichToReportRefTime, which indicates the second cell, and useAutonomousGaps-r1, which indicates whether to use the autonomous gap. See below for details:

[0147]

[0148]

[0149] Step 608: The second cell sends a broadcast message, which carries the second reference time information.

[0150] Step 610: The terminal device receives the broadcast message from the second cell and obtains the second reference time information from the broadcast message.

[0151] Optionally, in response to the measurement reporting configuration information, the terminal device starts a second timer; during the operation of the second timer, the terminal device receives a broadcast message from the second cell and obtains the second reference time information from the broadcast message.

[0152] For example, when the terminal device is in a connected state, the measurement configuration information sent by the serving cell also includes a measurement window. After receiving the measurement reporting configuration information in the measurement configuration information, the terminal device starts a second timer and obtains accurate second reference time information during the operation of the second timer (i.e., the measurement window).

[0153] Optionally, in response to the second timer timeout, the terminal device will also perform the following steps: stop receiving broadcast messages from the second cell and obtain the second reference time information from the broadcast messages; or, report first notification information to the serving cell, the first notification information being used to notify the serving cell that the terminal device has failed to obtain the second reference time information. Correspondingly, the serving cell receives the first notification information reported by the terminal device, the first notification information being used to notify the serving cell that the terminal device has failed to obtain the second reference time information.

[0154] Optionally, if step 610 is successfully executed, the terminal device will also perform the following steps: report the second reference time information to the serving cell; or, report the second notification information to the serving cell, the second notification information being used to notify the serving cell that the terminal device has successfully obtained the second reference time information. Correspondingly, the serving cell receives the second reference time information reported by the terminal device; or, the serving cell receives the second notification information reported by the terminal device, the second notification information being used to notify the serving cell that the terminal device has successfully obtained the second reference time information.

[0155] In summary, the method provided in this embodiment, when the terminal device is camped on the serving cell, determines a second cell as the target cell based on the configuration of the measurement and reporting configuration information. Since the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell, the accuracy of the reference time information of the target cell is generally higher than the accuracy of the reference time information of the serving cell, thereby helping the terminal device to obtain reference time information with higher accuracy.

[0156] Meanwhile, the method provided in this embodiment introduces a new first reporting type in the measurement reporting configuration information. The first reporting type is used to instruct the terminal device to obtain accurate reference time information. Then, the terminal device accurately and efficiently determines the second cell according to the physical cell identifier in the first reporting type, and then obtains reference time information through the second cell.

[0157] Meanwhile, the method provided in this embodiment allows the terminal device to report notification information to the serving cell, notifying the serving cell whether the terminal device has successfully obtained the second reference time information, so that the network device side can synchronize the terminal device's second reference time information acquisition status.

[0158] (3) In response to the terminal device being in the EN-DC architecture, the terminal device obtains the third reference time information provided by the third cell corresponding to the SN, the serving cell is the LTE cell, and the third cell is the NR cell.

[0159] Please refer to Figure 8 The diagram illustrates a flowchart of an information acquisition method provided in one embodiment of this application. This method can be applied to... Figure 1 In the communication system shown, the method may include the following steps:

[0160] In one possible implementation, the terminal device obtains the third reference time information through steps 802 to 804.

[0161] Step 802: The third cell corresponding to the SN sends a first RRC message to the terminal device. The first RRC message carries the third reference time information.

[0162] Optionally, the MN sends a fifth indication message to the SN via the X2 interface. The fifth indication message is used to instruct the SN to provide a third reference time information. In response to the fifth indication message, the third cell corresponding to the SN sends a first RRC message to the terminal device.

[0163] Optionally, the third cell corresponding to the SN also sends a response message to the serving cell corresponding to the MN. Optionally, the response message includes at least one of the following: whether to agree to provide third reference time information; whether to send third reference time information via SRB3; and the third reference time information.

[0164] Step 804: The terminal device receives the first RRC message sent by the third cell corresponding to the SN. The first RRC message carries the third reference time information.

[0165] That is, the terminal device in the connected state directly obtains the third reference time information of the third cell from the third cell corresponding to the SN.

[0166] Optionally, in response to the establishment of Signaling Radio Bearer 3 (SRB3) between the third cell corresponding to the SN and the terminal device, and the Secondary Cell Group (SCG) being active, the terminal device receives the first RRC message sent by the third cell corresponding to the SN via SRB3. Correspondingly, in response to the establishment of Signaling Radio Bearer 3 (SRB3) between the third cell corresponding to the SN and the terminal device, and the Secondary Cell Group (SCG) being active, the third cell corresponding to the SN sends the first RRC message to the terminal device via SRB3.

[0167] In another possible implementation, the terminal device obtains the third reference time information through steps 806 to 808.

[0168] Step 806: The serving cell corresponding to MN sends a second RRC message to the terminal device. The second RRC message carries third reference time information, which is sent from the third cell corresponding to SN to the serving cell corresponding to MN.

[0169] Optionally, the MN sends a sixth indication message to the SN via the X2 interface. The sixth indication message is used to instruct the SN to provide third reference time information. If an SRB3 is not established between the third cell corresponding to the SN and the terminal device, or if the SCG is in an inactive state, in response to the sixth indication message, the third cell corresponding to the SN sends a response message carrying the third reference time information to the serving cell corresponding to the MN. The serving cell corresponding to the MN sends a second RRC message carrying the third reference time information to the terminal device.

[0170] Optionally, the third cell corresponding to the SN also sends a response message to the serving cell corresponding to the MN. Optionally, the response message includes at least one of the following: whether to agree to provide third reference time information; whether to send third reference time information via SRB3; and the third reference time information.

[0171] Step 808: The terminal device receives the second RRC message sent by the serving cell corresponding to MN. The second RRC message carries the third reference time information, which is sent by the third cell corresponding to SN to the serving cell corresponding to MN.

[0172] That is, the terminal device in the connected state obtains the third reference time information of the third cell corresponding to the SN from the serving cell corresponding to the MN.

[0173] Optionally, in response to the failure to establish SRB3 between the third cell corresponding to the SN and the terminal device, or the SCG being in an inactive state, the terminal device receives the second RRC message sent by the serving cell corresponding to the MN via SRB1. Correspondingly, the serving cell corresponding to the MN sends the second RRC message to the terminal device via SRB1.

[0174] Optionally, in response to the failure to establish SRB3 between the third cell corresponding to the SN and the terminal device, or the SCG being in an inactive state, the terminal device receives the second RRC message sent by the serving cell corresponding to the MN via SRB2. Correspondingly, the serving cell corresponding to the MN sends the second RRC message to the terminal device via SRB2.

[0175] For example, if SRB3 is not established between the third cell corresponding to SN and the terminal device, the terminal device receives the second RRC message sent by the serving cell corresponding to MN through SRB2.

[0176] For example, when the SCG is inactive, the terminal device receives the second RRC message sent by the serving cell corresponding to the MN via SRB2.

[0177] For example, if SRB3 is not established between the third cell corresponding to SN and the terminal device, and SCG is in an inactive state, the terminal device receives the second RRC message sent by the serving cell corresponding to MN through SRB2.

[0178] In summary, the method provided in this embodiment, when the terminal device is in an EN-DC architecture, uses the third cell corresponding to the SN as the target cell. Since the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell, the accuracy of the reference time information of the target cell is generally higher than the accuracy of the reference time information of the serving cell, thereby helping the terminal device obtain reference time information with higher accuracy.

[0179] Meanwhile, the method provided in this embodiment, under the EN-DC architecture, involves the MN sending indication information to the SN, which instructs the SN to provide third reference time information. The interaction process is simple, thereby improving the efficiency of the terminal device in obtaining high-precision reference time information.

[0180] It is understood that the above method embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination, and this application does not impose any restrictions on them.

[0181] In the above embodiments, the steps performed by the terminal device can be implemented independently as an information acquisition method on the terminal device side, and the steps performed by the network device can be implemented independently as an information provision method on the network device side.

[0182] The following are embodiments of the apparatus described in this application, which can be used to execute the embodiments of the method described in this application. For details not disclosed in the apparatus embodiments of this application, please refer to the embodiments of the method described in this application.

[0183] Please refer to Figure 9 This diagram illustrates a block diagram of an information acquisition apparatus according to an embodiment of this application. The apparatus has the functionality to implement the method example described above on the terminal device side. This functionality can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The apparatus resides in the serving cell. The apparatus can be the terminal device described above, or it can be installed within the terminal device. For example... Figure 9 As shown, the device 900 may include: an information acquisition module 910;

[0184] The information acquisition module 910 is used to acquire reference time information of the target cell, wherein the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell.

[0185] In an optional embodiment, the information acquisition module 910 is configured to perform measurements to determine a first cell; receive a broadcast message from the first cell; and obtain first reference time information from the broadcast message.

[0186] or,

[0187] The information acquisition module 910 is used to receive measurement reporting configuration information sent by the serving cell, determine the second cell based on the measurement reporting configuration information, receive a broadcast message from the second cell, and obtain second reference time information from the broadcast message;

[0188] or,

[0189] The information acquisition module 910 is used to acquire the third reference time information provided by the third cell corresponding to the SN in response to the device being in the EN-DC dual connectivity architecture, wherein the serving cell is an LTE cell and the third cell is an NR cell.

[0190] In an optional embodiment, the information acquisition module 910 includes: a first cell determination unit, the first cell determination unit being configured to:

[0191] Receive at least one measurement object configuration information sent by the configuration cell, wherein the measurement object configuration information is used to configure the measurement object;

[0192] The measurement is performed based on the configuration information of the at least one measurement object, and the measurement result is obtained;

[0193] Based on the measurement results, the first cell is determined;

[0194] Wherein, the configured cell is the serving cell, or the configured cell is the cell in which the device resides before the connection is released.

[0195] In an optional embodiment, the first cell determination unit is configured to:

[0196] The cell with the strongest signal quality is identified as the first cell;

[0197] or,

[0198] Cells with signal quality not less than a first threshold are identified as the first cell;

[0199] or,

[0200] The measurement results are reported to the serving cell; first indication information is received from the serving cell, the first indication information being used to indicate the first cell; and the first cell is determined based on the first indication information.

[0201] In an optional embodiment, the first cell determination unit is configured to:

[0202] The cell with the strongest signal quality is fed back to the serving cell;

[0203] Receive second indication information sent by the serving cell, the second indication information being used to indicate whether the cell with the strongest signal quality is allowed to be used as the first cell;

[0204] In response to the second indication information used to indicate that the cell with the strongest signal quality is allowed to be designated as the first cell, the cell with the strongest signal quality is determined as the first cell.

[0205] In an alternative embodiment, the first threshold is indicated to the device by a network device; or, the first threshold is predefined in a communication protocol.

[0206] In an optional embodiment, the measurement object includes at least one of the following: the frequency point to be measured and the reference signal to be measured.

[0207] In an optional embodiment, the first cell determination unit is configured to receive a first message sent by the configuration cell, the first message carrying configuration information of the at least one measurement object;

[0208] When the device is in an inactive or idle state, the first message includes: an RRC elease message and a system broadcast message; when the device is in a connected state, the first message includes: an RRC message and a system broadcast message.

[0209] In an optional embodiment, the first message further indicates the first cell.

[0210] In an optional embodiment, the first message further includes third indication information, which indicates whether the device can obtain reference time information from other cells.

[0211] In an optional embodiment, the information acquisition module 910 includes: a first information acquisition unit, the first information acquisition unit being configured to:

[0212] In response to the configuration information of the measurement object, start the first timer;

[0213] During the operation of the first timer, a broadcast message from the first cell is received, and the first reference time information is obtained from the broadcast message.

[0214] In an optional embodiment, the information acquisition module 910 includes: a first information acquisition unit, the first information acquisition unit being configured to:

[0215] Receive the broadcast message from the first cell, and read the target SIB from the broadcast message to obtain the first reference time information.

[0216] In an optional embodiment, the information acquisition module 910 includes: a first cell determination unit, the first cell determination unit being configured to:

[0217] If the target SIB is not detected in the broadcast message of the first cell, the first cell is reselected.

[0218] In an optional embodiment, the target SIB includes: SIB9.

[0219] In an optional embodiment, the information acquisition module 910 includes: a second cell determination unit, the second cell determination unit being configured to:

[0220] Receive the measurement reporting configuration information sent by the serving cell, wherein the measurement reporting configuration information includes a first reporting type;

[0221] The second cell is determined based on the physical cell identifier in the first reporting type.

[0222] In an optional embodiment, the first reporting type further includes a fourth indication information, which indicates whether the device uses an autonomous interval gap when acquiring the second reference time information.

[0223] In an optional embodiment, the second cell determination unit is configured to receive measurement configuration information sent by the serving cell, the measurement configuration information including associated measurement reporting configuration information and measurement object configuration information, the measurement object configuration information being used to configure the measurement object.

[0224] In an optional embodiment, the information acquisition module 910 includes: a second information acquisition unit, the second information acquisition unit being configured to:

[0225] In response to the measurement reporting configuration information, a second timer is started;

[0226] During the operation of the second timer, a broadcast message from the second cell is received, and the second reference time information is obtained from the broadcast message.

[0227] In an optional embodiment, the apparatus further includes:

[0228] The stop receiving module is used to stop receiving broadcast messages from the second cell in response to the timeout of the second timer, and to obtain the second reference time information from the broadcast messages.

[0229] or,

[0230] The first reporting module is used to report a first notification message to the serving cell in response to the second timer timeout. The first notification message is used to notify the serving cell that the device has failed to obtain the second reference time information.

[0231] In an optional embodiment, the apparatus further includes:

[0232] The second reporting module is used to report the second reference time information to the serving cell;

[0233] or,

[0234] The third reporting module is used to report second notification information to the serving cell. The second notification information is used to notify the network device that the device has successfully obtained the second reference time information.

[0235] In an optional embodiment, the measurement reporting configuration information is carried in RRC dedicated signaling.

[0236] In an optional embodiment, the information acquisition module 910 includes: a third information acquisition unit, the third information acquisition unit being configured to:

[0237] Receive a first RRC message sent by the third cell corresponding to the SN, wherein the first RRC message carries the third reference time information;

[0238] or,

[0239] The second RRC message sent by the serving cell corresponding to MN is received. The second RRC message carries the third reference time information. The third reference time information is sent by the third cell corresponding to SN to the serving cell corresponding to MN.

[0240] In an optional embodiment, the third information acquisition unit is configured to receive the first RRC message sent by the third cell corresponding to the SN through the SRB3 in response to the establishment of SRB3 between the third cell corresponding to the SN and the device, and the SCG being in an active state.

[0241] In an optional embodiment, the third information acquisition unit is configured to:

[0242] In response to the failure to establish SRB3 between the third cell corresponding to the SN and the device, or the SCG being in an inactive state, the device receives the second RRC message sent by the serving cell corresponding to the MN through SRB1.

[0243] or,

[0244] In response to the failure to establish SRB3 between the third cell corresponding to the SN and the device, or the SCG being in an inactive state, the device receives the second RRC message sent by the serving cell corresponding to the MN via SRB2.

[0245] Please refer to Figure 10 This diagram illustrates a block diagram of an information providing apparatus according to an embodiment of this application. The apparatus has the functionality to implement the method example described above on the network device side. This functionality can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The apparatus can be the network device described above, or it can be located within a network device. Figure 10 As shown, the device 1000 may include: an information providing module 1010;

[0246] The information providing module 1010 is used to provide reference time information of the target cell to the terminal device, wherein the terminal device is camped on the serving cell, and the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell.

[0247] In an optional embodiment, the information providing module 1010 is configured to, in response to the terminal device performing a measurement to determine a first cell, send a broadcast message in the first cell, the broadcast message carrying first reference time information;

[0248] or,

[0249] The information providing module 1010 is used for the serving cell to send measurement reporting configuration information to the terminal device, the measurement reporting configuration information being used to instruct the second cell; the second cell sends a broadcast message, the broadcast message carrying second reference time information;

[0250] or,

[0251] The information providing module 1010 is used to provide the terminal device with third reference time information of the third cell corresponding to the SN in response to the terminal device being in an EN-DC dual connectivity architecture, wherein the serving cell is an LTE cell and the third cell is an NR cell.

[0252] In an optional embodiment, when the terminal device performs measurement to determine the first cell, the apparatus further includes: a measurement object configuration module;

[0253] The measurement object configuration module is used to configure the cell to send at least one measurement object configuration information to the terminal device, and the measurement object configuration information is used to configure the measurement object.

[0254] Wherein, the configured cell is the serving cell, or the configured cell is the cell in which the terminal device resides before the connection is released.

[0255] In an optional embodiment, the apparatus further includes: a first cell indication module;

[0256] The first cell indication module is used for the serving cell to receive measurement results reported by the terminal device; the serving cell sends first indication information to the terminal device, the first indication information being used to indicate the first cell.

[0257] In an optional embodiment, the apparatus further includes: a first cell indication module, the first cell indication module being configured to:

[0258] The serving cell receives the cell with the strongest signal quality from the terminal device.

[0259] The serving cell sends a second indication message, which indicates whether the cell with the strongest signal quality is allowed to be used as the first cell.

[0260] In an optional embodiment, the measurement object includes at least one of the following: the frequency point to be measured and the reference signal to be measured.

[0261] In an optional embodiment, the measurement object configuration module is used to send a first message from the configuration cell to the terminal device, wherein the first message carries at least one measurement object configuration information;

[0262] When the terminal device is in an inactive or idle state, the first message includes: an RRC elease message and a system broadcast message; when the terminal device is in a connected state, the first message includes: an RRC message and a system broadcast message.

[0263] In an optional embodiment, the first message further indicates the first cell.

[0264] In an optional embodiment, the first message further includes third indication information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal device can obtain reference time information from other cells.

[0265] In an optional embodiment, the first reference time information is carried in the Target System Information Block (SIB) of the broadcast message of the first cell.

[0266] In an optional embodiment, the target SIB includes: SIB9.

[0267] In an optional embodiment, the measurement reporting configuration information includes a first reporting type, which includes a physical cell identifier used to indicate the second cell.

[0268] In an optional embodiment, the first reporting type further includes a fourth indication information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal device uses an autonomous interval gap when acquiring the second reference time information.

[0269] In an optional embodiment, the information providing module 1010 is used to send measurement configuration information from the serving cell to the terminal device. The measurement configuration information includes associated measurement reporting configuration information and measurement object configuration information, and the measurement object configuration information is used to configure the measurement object.

[0270] In an optional embodiment, the apparatus further includes:

[0271] The first receiving module is used to receive first notification information reported by the terminal device from the serving cell. The first notification information is used to notify the serving cell that the terminal device has failed to obtain the second reference time information.

[0272] In an optional embodiment, the apparatus further includes:

[0273] The second receiving module is used for the serving cell to receive the second reference time information reported by the terminal device;

[0274] or,

[0275] The third receiving module is used for the serving cell to receive the second notification information reported by the terminal device, the second notification information being used to notify the serving cell that the terminal device has successfully obtained the second reference time information.

[0276] In an optional embodiment, the measurement reporting configuration information is carried in RRC dedicated signaling.

[0277] In an optional embodiment, the information providing module 1010 is configured to:

[0278] The third cell corresponding to the SN sends a first RRC message to the terminal device, and the first RRC message carries the third reference time information.

[0279] or,

[0280] The serving cell corresponding to MN sends a second RRC message to the terminal device. The second RRC message carries the third reference time information, which is sent from the third cell corresponding to SN to the serving cell corresponding to MN.

[0281] In an optional embodiment, the information providing module 1010 is configured to, in response to the establishment of SRB3 between the third cell corresponding to the SN and the terminal device, and the secondary cell group SCG being in an active state, send the first RRC message to the terminal device through the SRB3 via the third cell corresponding to the SN.

[0282] In an optional embodiment, the information providing module 1010 is configured to:

[0283] The MN sends a fifth indication message to the SN via the X2 interface, the fifth indication message being used to instruct the SN to provide the third reference time information;

[0284] In response to the fifth indication information, the third cell corresponding to the SN sends the first RRC message to the terminal device.

[0285] In an optional embodiment, the information providing module 1010 is configured to:

[0286] The serving cell corresponding to the MN sends the second RRC message to the terminal device via SRB1;

[0287] or,

[0288] Through SRB2, the serving cell corresponding to the MN sends the second RRC message to the terminal device.

[0289] In an optional embodiment, the information providing module 1010 is configured to:

[0290] The MN sends a sixth indication message to the SN via the X2 interface. The sixth indication message is used to instruct the SN to provide the third reference time information.

[0291] If no SRB3 is established between the third cell corresponding to the SN and the terminal device, or if the SCG is in an inactive state, in response to the sixth indication information, the third cell corresponding to the SN sends a response information carrying the third reference time information to the serving cell corresponding to the MN.

[0292] The serving cell corresponding to MN sends the second RRC message carrying the third reference time information to the terminal device.

[0293] It should be noted that the device provided in the above embodiments is only illustrated by the division of the above functional modules when implementing its functions. In actual applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional modules according to actual needs, that is, the content structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0294] Regarding the apparatus in the above embodiments, the specific manner in which each module performs its operation has been described in detail in the embodiments related to the method, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0295] Please refer to Figure 11 The diagram illustrates the structure of a communication device (terminal device or network device) according to an embodiment of this application. The communication device may include: a processor 1101, a receiver 1102, a transmitter 1103, a memory 1104, and a bus 1105.

[0296] The processor 1101 includes one or more processing cores. The processor 1101 executes various functional applications and information processing by running software programs and modules.

[0297] The receiver 1102 and the transmitter 1103 can be implemented as a transceiver 1106, which can be a communication chip.

[0298] The memory 1104 is connected to the processor 1101 via the bus 1105.

[0299] The memory 1104 can be used to store computer programs, and the processor 1101 is used to execute the computer programs to implement the various steps performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0300] Furthermore, the memory 1104 can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, including but not limited to: RAM (Random-Access Memory) and ROM (Read-Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), flash memory or other solid-state storage technologies, CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory), DVD (Digital Video Disc) or other optical storage, magnetic tape cassettes, magnetic tape, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices.

[0301] When the communication device is implemented as a terminal device, the processor and transceiver involved in the embodiments of this application can perform the above-mentioned functions. Figures 4 to 6 , Figure 8 The steps performed by the terminal device in any of the methods shown will not be described in detail here.

[0302] In one possible implementation, when the communication device implements a terminal device,

[0303] The transceiver is used to obtain reference time information of the target cell, wherein the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell.

[0304] When the communication device implements a network device, the processor and transceiver involved in the embodiments of this application can perform the above-mentioned functions. Figures 4 to 6 , Figure 8 The steps performed by the network device in any of the methods shown will not be described in detail here.

[0305] In one possible implementation, when the communication device is implemented as a network device,

[0306] The transceiver is used to provide reference time information of the target cell to the terminal device, the terminal device camps on the serving cell, and the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell.

[0307] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program. The computer program is executed by a processor of a terminal device to implement the aforementioned information acquisition method on the terminal device side, or is executed by a processor of a network device to implement the aforementioned information provision method on the network device side.

[0308] Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium may include: ROM (Read-Only Memory), RAM (Random-Access Memory), SSD (Solid State Drives), or optical disc, etc. The random access memory may include ReRAM (Resistance Random Access Memory) and DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory).

[0309] This application also provides a chip, which includes programmable logic circuits and / or program instructions. When the chip is running on a terminal device, it is used to implement the above-mentioned information acquisition method on the terminal device side, or when the chip is running on a network device, it is used to implement the above-mentioned information provision method on the network device side.

[0310] This application also provides a computer program product or computer program, which includes computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium. A processor of a terminal device reads and executes the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium to implement the aforementioned information acquisition method on the terminal device side, or a processor of a network device reads and executes the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium to implement the aforementioned information provision method on the network device side.

[0311] It should be understood that the term "instruction" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a direct instruction, an indirect instruction, or an indication of a relationship. For example, A instructing B can mean that A directly instructs B, such as B being able to obtain information through A; it can also mean that A indirectly instructs B, such as A instructing C, so B can obtain information through C; or it can mean that there is a relationship between A and B.

[0312] In the description of the embodiments of this application, the term "correspondence" may indicate that there is a direct or indirect correspondence between two things, or that there is an association between two things, or that there is a relationship of instruction and being instructed, configuration and being configured, etc.

[0313] In this article, "multiple" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0314] Furthermore, the step numbers described herein are merely illustrative of one possible execution order between steps. In some other embodiments, the steps may not be executed in the order of their numbers, such as two steps with different numbers being executed simultaneously, or two steps with different numbers being executed in the reverse order of the illustration. This application does not limit this.

[0315] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the functions described in the embodiments of this application in one or more of the above examples can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, these functions can be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, wherein communication media include any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0316] The above description is merely an exemplary embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. An information acquisition method, characterized in that, The method is executed by a terminal device residing in a serving cell, and the method includes: Obtain reference time information for the target cell, wherein the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell; The acquisition of reference time information for the target cell includes: Receive a measurement reporting instruction sent by the serving cell when it detects the arrival of a specific service, perform measurements based on the measurement reporting instruction, and report the measurement results to the serving cell; Receive measurement reporting configuration information sent by the serving cell, determine a second cell based on the measurement reporting configuration information, wherein the measurement reporting configuration information is sent by the serving cell based on the measurement results; receive a broadcast message from the second cell, and obtain second reference time information from the broadcast message; The step of receiving measurement reporting configuration information sent by the serving cell and determining the second cell based on the measurement reporting configuration information includes: The terminal device receives measurement configuration information sent by the serving cell. The measurement configuration information includes associated measurement reporting configuration information and measurement object configuration information. The measurement object configuration information is used to configure the measurement object. The measurement reporting configuration information includes a first reporting type. The first reporting type also includes a fourth indication information. The fourth indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device uses an autonomous interval gap when obtaining the second reference time information. The second cell is determined based on the physical cell identifier in the first reporting type.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The measurement object includes at least one of the following: the frequency point being measured and the reference signal being measured.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Receiving the broadcast message from the second cell and obtaining the second reference time information from the broadcast message includes: In response to the measurement reporting configuration information, a second timer is started; During the operation of the second timer, a broadcast message from the second cell is received, and the second reference time information is obtained from the broadcast message.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: The steps include: in response to the second timer timeout, stopping the reception of broadcast messages from the second cell, and obtaining the second reference time information from the broadcast messages; or, In response to the second timer timeout, a first notification message is reported to the serving cell. The first notification message is used to notify the serving cell that the terminal device has failed to obtain the second reference time information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: The second reference time information is reported to the serving cell; or, The second notification information is reported to the serving cell, and the second notification information is used to notify the serving cell that the terminal device has successfully obtained the second reference time information.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The measurement reporting configuration information is carried in the RRC dedicated signaling.

7. An information provision method, characterized in that, The method is performed by a network device, and the method includes: Provide reference time information of the target cell to the terminal device, wherein the terminal device is camped on the serving cell and the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell; The provision of reference time information of the target cell to the terminal device includes: When the serving cell detects the arrival of a specific service, it sends a measurement reporting instruction to the terminal device and receives the measurement results sent by the terminal device. Based on the measurement results, the serving cell sends measurement reporting configuration information to the terminal device. The measurement reporting configuration information is used to instruct the second cell, and the broadcast message sent by the second cell carries second reference time information. The serving cell sends measurement reporting configuration information to the terminal device, including: The serving cell sends measurement configuration information to the terminal device. The measurement configuration information includes associated measurement reporting configuration information and measurement object configuration information. The measurement object configuration information is used to configure the measurement object. The measurement reporting configuration information includes a first reporting type, which includes a physical cell identifier. The physical cell identifier is used to indicate the second cell. The first reporting type also includes fourth indication information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal device uses an autonomous interval gap when obtaining the second reference time information.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The measurement object includes at least one of the following: the frequency point being measured and the reference signal being measured.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: The serving cell receives a first notification message reported by the terminal device, the first notification message being used to notify the serving cell that the terminal device failed to obtain the second reference time information.

10. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: The serving cell receives the second reference time information reported by the terminal device; or, The serving cell receives a second notification information reported by the terminal device, the second notification information being used to notify the serving cell that the terminal device has successfully obtained the second reference time information.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that, The measurement reporting configuration information is carried in the RRC dedicated signaling.

12. An information acquisition device, characterized in that, The device resides in the serving cell and includes: an information acquisition module; The information acquisition module is used to acquire reference time information of the target cell, wherein the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell; The acquisition of reference time information for the target cell includes: Receive a measurement reporting instruction sent by the serving cell when it detects the arrival of a specific service, perform measurements based on the measurement reporting instruction, and report the measurement results to the serving cell; Receive measurement reporting configuration information sent by the serving cell, determine a second cell based on the measurement reporting configuration information, wherein the measurement reporting configuration information is sent by the serving cell based on the measurement results; receive a broadcast message from the second cell, and obtain second reference time information from the broadcast message; The information acquisition module includes a second cell determination unit, which is used for: The device receives measurement configuration information sent by the serving cell. The measurement configuration information includes associated measurement reporting configuration information and measurement object configuration information. The measurement object configuration information is used to configure the measurement object. The measurement reporting configuration information includes a first reporting type. The first reporting type also includes fourth indication information. The fourth indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device uses an autonomous interval gap when obtaining the second reference time information. The second cell is determined based on the physical cell identifier in the first reporting type.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that, The measurement object includes at least one of the following: the frequency point being measured and the reference signal being measured.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that, The information acquisition module includes: a second information acquisition unit, the second information acquisition unit being used for: In response to the measurement reporting configuration information, a second timer is started; During the operation of the second timer, a broadcast message from the second cell is received, and the second reference time information is obtained from the broadcast message.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that, The device further includes: The stop receiving module is used to stop receiving broadcast messages from the second cell in response to the timeout of the second timer, and to obtain the second reference time information from the broadcast messages. or, The first reporting module is used to report a first notification message to the serving cell in response to the timeout of the second timer. The first notification message is used to notify the serving cell that the terminal device has failed to obtain the second reference time information.

16. The apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that, The device further includes: The second reporting module is used to report the second reference time information to the serving cell; or, The third reporting module is used to report second notification information to the serving cell. The second notification information is used to notify the network device that the terminal device has successfully obtained the second reference time information.

17. The apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that, The measurement reporting configuration information is carried in the RRC dedicated signaling.

18. An information providing device, characterized in that, The device includes: an information providing module; The information providing module is used to provide reference time information of the target cell to the terminal device, wherein the terminal device is camped on the serving cell, and the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell. The information providing module is configured to: when the serving cell detects the arrival of a specific service, send a measurement reporting instruction to the terminal device and receive measurement results sent by the terminal device; based on the measurement results, send measurement reporting configuration information to the terminal device, the measurement reporting configuration information being used to instruct a second cell; and the second cell sending a broadcast message, the broadcast message carrying second reference time information. The information providing module is configured to send measurement configuration information from the serving cell to the terminal device. The measurement configuration information includes associated measurement reporting configuration information and measurement object configuration information. The measurement object configuration information is used to configure the measurement object. The measurement reporting configuration information includes a first reporting type, which includes a physical cell identifier. The physical cell identifier is used to indicate the second cell. The first reporting type also includes fourth indication information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal device uses an autonomous interval gap when obtaining the second reference time information.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, characterized in that, The measurement object includes at least one of the following: the frequency point being measured and the reference signal being measured.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, characterized in that, The device further includes: The first receiving module is used to receive first notification information reported by the terminal device from the serving cell. The first notification information is used to notify the serving cell that the terminal device has failed to obtain the second reference time information.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, characterized in that, The device further includes: The second receiving module is used for the serving cell to receive the second reference time information reported by the terminal device; or, The third receiving module is used for the serving cell to receive the second notification information reported by the terminal device, the second notification information being used to notify the serving cell that the terminal device has successfully obtained the second reference time information.

22. The apparatus according to any one of claims 18 to 21, characterized in that, The measurement reporting configuration information is carried in the RRC dedicated signaling.

23. A terminal device, characterized in that, The terminal device resides in the serving cell, and the terminal device includes a transceiver. The transceiver is used to obtain reference time information of the target cell, wherein the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell. The acquisition of reference time information for the target cell includes: Receive a measurement reporting instruction sent by the serving cell when it detects the arrival of a specific service, perform measurements based on the measurement reporting instruction, and report the measurement results to the serving cell; Receive measurement reporting configuration information sent by the serving cell, determine a second cell based on the measurement reporting configuration information, wherein the measurement reporting configuration information is sent by the serving cell based on the measurement results; receive a broadcast message from the second cell, and obtain second reference time information from the broadcast message; The step of receiving measurement reporting configuration information sent by the serving cell and determining the second cell based on the measurement reporting configuration information includes: The terminal device receives measurement configuration information sent by the serving cell. The measurement configuration information includes associated measurement reporting configuration information and measurement object configuration information. The measurement object configuration information is used to configure the measurement object. The measurement reporting configuration information includes a first reporting type. The first reporting type also includes a fourth indication information. The fourth indication information is used to indicate whether the terminal device uses an autonomous interval gap when obtaining the second reference time information. The second cell is determined based on the physical cell identifier in the first reporting type.

24. A network device, characterized in that, The network device includes a transceiver; The transceiver is used to provide reference time information of the target cell to the terminal device, the terminal device camps on the serving cell, and the version of the communication system corresponding to the target cell is higher than the version of the communication system corresponding to the serving cell. The provision of reference time information of the target cell to the terminal device includes: When the serving cell detects the arrival of a specific service, it sends a measurement reporting instruction to the terminal device and receives the measurement results sent by the terminal device. Based on the measurement results, the serving cell sends measurement reporting configuration information to the terminal device. The measurement reporting configuration information is used to instruct the second cell, and the broadcast message sent by the second cell carries second reference time information. The serving cell sends measurement reporting configuration information to the terminal device, including: The serving cell sends measurement configuration information to the terminal device. The measurement configuration information includes associated measurement reporting configuration information and measurement object configuration information. The measurement object configuration information is used to configure the measurement object. The measurement reporting configuration information includes a first reporting type, which includes a physical cell identifier. The physical cell identifier is used to indicate the second cell. The first reporting type also includes fourth indication information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal device uses an autonomous interval gap when obtaining the second reference time information.

25. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program, which is executed by a processor to implement the information acquisition method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, or the information provision method as described in any one of claims 7 to 11.

26. A chip, characterized in that, The chip includes programmable logic circuits and / or program instructions, which, when the chip is running, are used to implement the information acquisition method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, or the information provision method as described in any one of claims 7 to 11.

27. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and a processor reads and executes the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium to implement the information acquisition method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, or the information provision method as described in any one of claims 7 to 11.

Images