Method and device for determining preparation time for uplink antenna switching

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses a method and apparatus for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching, which can be applied to the field of communications technology. The method, performed by a terminal device, includes determining the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, where the preparation time includes a first preparation time and / or a second antenna switching time. This supports determining the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, thereby ensuring communication quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a method and device for determining a preparation time for uplink antenna switching. Background Art

[0002] Terminal devices support uplink antenna switching and dynamic switching across multiple frequency bands. However, due to the different capabilities of terminal devices, the preparation time required for uplink antenna switching varies.

[0003] The related art does not support determining the preparation time required for a terminal device to switch an uplink antenna, which is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and apparatus for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching, which support determining the preparation time required for a terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching to ensure communication quality.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching, which is executed by a terminal device and includes: determining the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, wherein the preparation time includes a first time for preparation and / or a second time for antenna switching.

[0006] In this technical solution, a terminal device determines a preparation time required for the terminal device to switch an uplink antenna, where the preparation time includes a first preparation time and / or a second antenna switching time. This supports determining the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch an uplink antenna to ensure communication quality.

[0007] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides another method for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching, which is executed by a network-side device. The method includes: determining the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, wherein the preparation time includes a first time for preparation and / or a second time for antenna switching.

[0008] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication device that implements some or all of the functions of the terminal device described in the method described in the first aspect above. For example, the functions of the communication device may include some or all of the functions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, or may include the functions of implementing any one of the embodiments of the present disclosure separately. The functions may be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0009] In one implementation, the communication device may include a transceiver module and a processing module, wherein the processing module is configured to support the communication device in performing the corresponding functions of the above-mentioned method. The transceiver module is used to support communication between the communication device and other devices. The communication device may also include a storage module, which is coupled to the transceiver module and the processing module and stores computer programs and data necessary for the communication device.

[0010] In one implementation, the communication apparatus includes: a processing module configured to determine a preparation time required for a terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, wherein the preparation time includes a first time for preparation and / or a second time for antenna switching.

[0011] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides another communication device that has some or all of the functions of the network-side device in the method example described in the second aspect above. For example, the functions of the communication device may have some or all of the functions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, or may have the functions of implementing any one of the embodiments of the present disclosure alone. The functions may be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0012] In one implementation, the communication device may include a transceiver module and a processing module, the processing module being configured to support the communication device in performing the corresponding functions of the above-described method. The transceiver module is configured to support communication between the communication device and other devices. The communication device may also include a storage module, coupled to the transceiver module and the processing module, which stores computer programs and data necessary for the communication device.

[0013] In one implementation, the communication apparatus includes: a processing module configured to determine a preparation time required for a terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, wherein the preparation time includes a first time for preparation and / or a second time for antenna switching.

[0014] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication device, which includes a processor. When the processor calls a computer program in a memory, the method described in the first aspect is executed.

[0015] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication device, which includes a processor. When the processor calls a computer program in a memory, the method described in the second aspect is executed.

[0016] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication device, which includes a processor and a memory, in which a computer program is stored; the processor executes the computer program stored in the memory so that the communication device executes the method described in the first aspect above.

[0017] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication device, which includes a processor and a memory, in which a computer program is stored; the processor executes the computer program stored in the memory so that the communication device executes the method described in the second aspect above.

[0018] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication device, which includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive code instructions and transmit them to the processor, and the processor is used to run the code instructions to enable the device to execute the method described in the first aspect above.

[0019] In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication device, which includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive code instructions and transmit them to the processor, and the processor is used to run the code instructions to enable the device to execute the method described in the second aspect above.

[0020] In the eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a system for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching, the system including the communication device described in the third aspect and the communication device described in the fourth aspect, or the system including the communication device described in the fifth aspect and the communication device described in the sixth aspect, or the system including the communication device described in the seventh aspect and the communication device described in the eighth aspect, or the system including the communication device described in the ninth aspect and the communication device described in the tenth aspect.

[0021] In a twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing instructions for the above-mentioned terminal device, and when the instructions are executed, the terminal device executes the method described in the first aspect.

[0022] In a thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a readable storage medium for storing instructions used by the above-mentioned network-side device. When the instructions are executed, the network-side device executes the method described in the above-mentioned second aspect.

[0023] In a fourteenth aspect, the present disclosure further provides a computer program product comprising a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the first aspect above.

[0024] In a fifteenth aspect, the present disclosure further provides a computer program product comprising a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the second aspect above.

[0025] In a sixteenth aspect, the present disclosure provides a chip system comprising at least one processor and an interface for supporting a terminal device in implementing the functions described in the first aspect, such as determining or processing at least one of the data and information described in the aforementioned method. In one possible design, the chip system further comprises a memory for storing computer programs and data necessary for the terminal device. The chip system may consist of a chip alone or may include a chip and other discrete components.

[0026] In a seventeenth aspect, the present disclosure provides a chip system comprising at least one processor and an interface for supporting a network-side device in implementing the functions described in the second aspect, such as determining or processing at least one of the data and information described in the aforementioned method. In one possible design, the chip system further comprises a memory for storing computer programs and data necessary for the network-side device. The chip system may consist of a single chip or may include a chip and other discrete components.

[0027] In an eighteenth aspect, the present disclosure provides a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the first aspect above.

[0028] In a nineteenth aspect, the present disclosure provides a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the second aspect above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure or the background technology, the drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present disclosure or the background technology will be described below.

[0030] Figure 1 is an architecture diagram of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 2 This is a flow chart of a method for determining a preparation time for uplink antenna switching provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] Figure 3 is a flow chart of another method for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 4 is a flow chart of another method for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 5 is a flow chart of a method for determining a preparation time for uplink antenna switching provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 6 is a flow chart of another method for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 7 This is a flow chart of another method for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 8 is a flow chart of another method for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0038] Figure 9 is a flow chart of another method for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0039] Figure 10 is a structural diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] Figure 11 is a structural diagram of another communication device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0041] Figure 12 It is a schematic structural diagram of a chip provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] In order to better understand the method and apparatus for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching disclosed in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the communication system to which the embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable is first described below.

[0043] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, with examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, unless otherwise indicated, like numbers in different figures represent like or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments are not intended to represent all possible embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatus and methods consistent with certain aspects of the present disclosure, as detailed in the appended claims.

[0044] The terms used in this disclosure are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the disclosure. As used in this disclosure and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," "the," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0045] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used in this disclosure to describe various information, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of this disclosure, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Depending on the context, for example, the word "if" as used herein may be interpreted as "at the time of" or "when" or "in response to determining."

[0046] It should be noted that the information (including but not limited to user device information, user personal information, etc.), data (including but not limited to data used for analysis, stored data, displayed data, etc.) and signals involved in this disclosure are all authorized by the user or fully authorized by all parties, and the collection, use and processing of relevant data must comply with the relevant laws, regulations and standards of relevant countries and regions.

[0047] See Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication system may include but is not limited to a network side device and a terminal device. Figure 1 The number and form of the devices shown are for example only and do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of the present disclosure. In actual applications, two or more network-side devices and two or more terminal devices may be included. Figure 1 The communication system 10 shown includes a network-side device 101 and a terminal device 102 as an example.

[0048] It should be noted that the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems, such as long-term evolution (LTE) systems, fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication systems, 5G new radio (NR) systems, or other future new mobile communication systems.

[0049] The network side device 101 in the embodiment of the present disclosure is an entity on the network side for transmitting or receiving signals. For example, the network side device 101 can be an evolved NodeB (eNB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in an NR system, a base station in other future mobile communication systems, or an access node in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. The embodiment of the present disclosure does not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the base station. The base station provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure can be composed of a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), wherein the CU can also be called a control unit. The CU-DU structure can be used to split the base station, such as the protocol layer of the base station, and the functions of some protocol layers are placed in the CU for centralized control, and the functions of the remaining part or all of the protocol layers are distributed in the DU, and the DU is centrally controlled by the CU.

[0050] The terminal device 102 in the embodiment of the present disclosure is an entity on the user side for receiving or transmitting signals, such as a mobile phone. The terminal device can also be called a terminal device (terminal), user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal device (MT), etc. The terminal device can be a car with communication function, a smart car, a mobile phone, a wearable device, a tablet computer (Pad), a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control (industrial control), a wireless terminal device in self-driving (self-driving), a wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal device in smart grid (smart grid), a wireless terminal device in transportation safety (transportation safety), a wireless terminal device in smart city (smart city), a wireless terminal device in smart home (smart home), etc. The embodiment of the present disclosure does not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal device.

[0051] It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiment of the present disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of the system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0052] In addition, in order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following points are explained.

[0053] First, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, "used to indicate" may include being used to indicate directly or indirectly. When describing that a certain information is used to indicate A, it may include that the information directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, but it does not necessarily mean that the information carries A.

[0054] The information indicated by the information is called the information to be indicated. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated. For example, but not limited to, the information to be indicated can be directly indicated, such as the information to be indicated itself or the index of the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where there is an association between the other information and the information to be indicated. It is also possible to indicate only a part of the information to be indicated, while the other parts of the information to be indicated are known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of specific information can be achieved by using the arrangement order of each piece of information that is pre-agreed (for example, specified by the protocol), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent.

[0055] The information to be indicated can be sent as a whole or as multiple sub-information messages that are sent separately. The transmission periods and / or timings of these sub-information messages can be the same or different. The specific transmission method is not limited in this disclosure. The transmission periods and / or timings of these sub-information messages can be predefined, for example, according to a protocol.

[0056] Second, in this disclosure, the first, second, and various numerical numbers (e.g., "#1," "#2") are merely distinctions for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this disclosure, for example, to distinguish different signaling messages, different information, and so on.

[0057] Third, in this disclosure, "pre-set" may include indications by network device signaling or pre-defined, such as protocol definitions. "Pre-defined" may be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in devices (e.g., including terminal devices and network devices), and this disclosure does not limit the specific implementation methods.

[0058] Fourth, the "protocol" involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may refer to a standard protocol in the communication field, for example, it may include an LTE protocol, a NR protocol, a WLAN protocol, and related protocols in other communication systems, which is not limited in this disclosure.

[0059] Fifth, the embodiments of the present disclosure list multiple implementation methods to clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Of course, those skilled in the art will understand that the multiple implementation methods provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented independently, combined with the methods of other embodiments of the embodiments of the present disclosure, or implemented independently or in combination with some methods in other related technologies; the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this.

[0060] In the related art, based on the RAN#96 WID (Work Item Description), Super Uplink needs to further support uplink antenna (UL Tx) switching schemes for up to three or four frequency bands, limiting simultaneous transmission to a maximum of two bands. Discussions on uplink antenna switching have resulted in the latest WA support for Alt.1 antenna switching, meaning that terminal devices support all configured switching schemes and can switch between any bands without restrictions.

[0061] If dynamic switching of more than two bands is supported, the terminal device must support memory updates / storage for more bands to accommodate switching between bands other than the baseline two. For example, when switching between case #1 (1P+0P+0P+0P) and case #2 (0P+0P+1P+0P), the switching bands are band #1 and band #3. If the terminal device is configured to support only the 1&3 band pair, then it only needs to maintain memory for band #1 and band #3. If the terminal device is configured to support both the 1&3 band pair and the 1&2 band pair, that is, it can also switch between case #1 (1P+0P+0P+0P) and case #4 (0P+1P+0P+0P), then in addition to the memory for band #1 and band #3, the terminal device must also maintain memory for band #2. If the R16 / 17 maintenance solution is still used, that is, maintaining the memory of two bands, the memory and band will no longer be bound, and it will be necessary to switch to the third and fourth bands, which will also increase the complexity of the terminal equipment.

[0062] In the related art, the following working assumption is proposed:

[0063] -If Rel-18 UL Tx switching is supported, the following switching mechanism is considered as baseline for the Rel-18 UL Tx switching across 3 or 4 bands

[0064] Alt.1: Dynamic Tx carrier switching can beacross all the supported switching cases by the UE and based on the UL scheduling, i.e., via dynamic grant and / or RRC configuration for UL transmission

[0065] -RAN1 will supportone or more of following complexity reduction options, considering at leastthe potential additional preparation time, additional interruption time, and RFcomplexity for certain switching cases / patterns, if Rel-18 UL Tx switching issupported based on Alt.1, and companies are encouraged to investigate optionswith striving for down-selection at RAN1#110bis-e.

[0066] Option 1: UE is allowed to support only some of concurrent UL cases (band pairs)

[0067] FFS (For Further Study): At least one band pair should be supported as in Rel-17

[0068] FFS: for both 3 and 4 bandscases or only for 4 bands case

[0069] FFS: potential capability / RRC signaling

[0070] Option 2: UE is allowed to support 2 ports transmission only on some of bands out of configured bands for UL Tx switching

[0071] FFS: at least two bands should support up to 2 Tx as in Rel-17

[0072] FFS: for both 3 and 4 bandscases or only for 4 bands case

[0073] FFS: for both switched UL and dual UL cases or only for dual UL case

[0074] FFS: whether / how to reuse or extend existing capability / RRC signaling

[0075] Option 3: UE is allowed with more preparation procedure time (or interruption time) only for some specific switching cases / patterns

[0076] FFS: specific switching cases / patterns where more preparation procedure time (or interruption time) is necessary, e.g., switching patterns not existing in Rel-17

[0077] FFS: how long preparation procedure time and / or interruption time is necessary, and whether RAN4 involvement is necessary

[0078] FFS: whether / how to report / indicate the specific switching cases / patternsand / or value(s)of preparation procedure time(or interruption time)

[0079] FFS: what is the definition of preparation procedure time or interruption time, including whether interruption happens during the preparation procedure time and whether it includes switching period

[0080] FFS: whether / how long minimum interval between two succeeding UL Tx switching is necessary

[0081] Option 4: UE is allowed to support only some ofband pairs for tx switching

[0082] FFS: at least one band pair should be supported as in Rel-17

[0083] FFS: for both 3 and 4 bandscases or only for 4 bands case

[0084] FFS: for switched UL and / or dual UL

[0085] FFS: potential capability / RRC signaling

[0086] Other options are not precluded.

[0087] The related art does not support determining the preparation time required for a terminal device to switch an uplink antenna.

[0088] Based on this, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method and apparatus for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching, so as to support determining the preparation time required for a terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching.

[0089] A method and apparatus for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching provided by the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0090] See Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a method for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0091] like Figure 2 As shown, the method is executed by a terminal device, and the method may include but is not limited to the following steps:

[0092] S21: The terminal device determines a preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, wherein the preparation time includes a first time for preparation and / or a second time for antenna switching.

[0093] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal device may determine the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna based on implementation, or may determine the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna based on protocol agreement, or may determine the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna based on the configuration of the network side device.

[0094] In some embodiments, the terminal device receives indication information sent by the network side device, wherein the indication information is used to indicate the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna or is a parameter or identifier used by the terminal device to determine the preparation time required for switching the uplink antenna; the terminal device determines the preparation time based on the indication information.

[0095] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a terminal device can receive indication information sent by a network device, where the indication information indicates the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, or a parameter or identifier used by the terminal device to determine the preparation time required for uplink antenna switching. Based on this, upon receiving the indication information from the network device, the terminal device can determine the preparation time based on the indication information. This ensures that the network device and the terminal device have a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, thereby ensuring communication quality.

[0096] In some embodiments, the terminal device receives indication information sent by the network side device, including at least one of the following:

[0097] Receive semi-static signaling sent by network-side equipment;

[0098] Receive the media access control element MAC CE sent by the network side device;

[0099] Receive downlink control information DCI sent by the network side device.

[0100] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal device receives indication information sent by the network side device, and can receive semi-static signaling sent by the network side device, wherein the semi-static signaling refers to RRC (Radio Resource Control) signaling, and the RRC signaling includes indication information. Thus, the terminal device can determine the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching as indicated by the network side device, and can ensure that the network side device and the terminal device can maintain a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, so as to ensure communication quality.

[0101] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal device receives the indication information sent by the network side device, which may refer to: receiving the MAC CE (media access control control element) sent by the network side device, wherein the MAC CE includes the indication information, thereby enabling the terminal device to determine the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform the uplink antenna switching as indicated by the network side device, and ensuring that the network side device and the terminal device have a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform the uplink antenna switching, so as to ensure the communication quality.

[0102] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal device receives the indication information sent by the network side device, which may refer to: receiving the DCI (downlink control information) sent by the network side device, wherein the DCI includes the indication information, thereby enabling the terminal device to determine the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform the uplink antenna switching as indicated by the network side device, and ensuring that the network side device and the terminal device can maintain a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform the uplink antenna switching, so as to ensure the quality of communication.

[0103] It should be noted that the above embodiments are not exhaustive and are only illustrations of some embodiments. The above embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination. The above embodiments are only for illustration and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0104] Among them, the preparation time may include the first time used for preparation. For example, the preparation time includes the time from the terminal device determining that the uplink antenna switching is required to the actual uplink antenna switching. For example, the preparation time includes the time required for the terminal device to perform relevant preparatory work in order to accurately perform the uplink antenna switching. The preparatory work may include any one or more of the following: memory update, memory confirmation, memory refresh, uplink / downlink transmission sorting, etc.

[0105] The preparation time may include a second time for antenna switching. Exemplarily, the preparation time includes the time from the start of uplink antenna switching to the completion of uplink antenna switching of the terminal device.

[0106] The preparation time may include a first time for preparation and a second time for antenna switching. Exemplarily, the preparation time includes the time from when the terminal device determines that uplink antenna switching is required to when the uplink antenna switching is actually completed.

[0107] In some embodiments, the preparation time includes at least one of the following:

[0108] The time required for the terminal device to refresh the memory unit;

[0109] The time required for the terminal device to load the memory unit;

[0110] The time when the terminal device interrupts all current transmissions;

[0111] The time when the network side device stops scheduling the terminal device.

[0112] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the preparation time may include the time required for the terminal device to refresh the memory unit. It is understood that the preparation time may include a first time for preparation and / or a second time for antenna switching, and if the preparation time includes the time required for the terminal device to refresh the memory unit, the first time may include the time required for the terminal device to refresh the memory unit.

[0113] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the preparation time may include the time required for the terminal device to load the memory unit. It is understood that the preparation time may include a first time for preparation and / or a second time for antenna switching, and if the preparation time includes the time required for the terminal device to load the memory unit, the first time may include the time required for the terminal device to load the memory unit.

[0114] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the preparation time may include the time when the terminal device interrupts all current transmissions. It is understood that the preparation time may include a first time for preparation and / or a second time for antenna switching. If the preparation time includes the time when the terminal device interrupts all current transmissions, the first time may include the time when the terminal device interrupts all current transmissions.

[0115] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the preparation time may include the time when the network-side device stops scheduling the terminal device. It is understood that the preparation time may include a first time for preparation and / or a second time for antenna switching, and if the preparation time includes the time when the network-side device stops scheduling the terminal device, the first time may include the time when the network-side device stops scheduling the terminal device.

[0116] Of course, the preparation time may include one or more of the above parameters, so the above parameters may be combined and used in any manner, which will not be described in detail here.

[0117] It is understandable that in order to ensure communication quality, the network-side device needs to maintain a consistent understanding with the terminal device of the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna.

[0118] Based on this, the terminal device can report the preparation time to the network side device after determining the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna.

[0119] In some embodiments, the terminal device reports the preparation time to the network side device.

[0120] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the terminal device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, it supports reporting the preparation time to the network side device, which can ensure that the network side device and the terminal device can have a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, so as to ensure communication quality.

[0121] In some embodiments, the terminal device reports the preparation time to the network device, including:

[0122] Report capability information to the network side device, where the capability information includes preparation time; or

[0123] A first signaling is sent to a network-side device, where the first signaling includes a preparation time.

[0124] In the disclosed embodiment, the terminal device reports capability information to the network side device. The capability information includes preparation time, which can ensure that the network side device and the terminal device have a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna to ensure communication quality.

[0125] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal device sends a first signaling to the network side device, and the first signaling includes a preparation time, which can ensure that the network side device and the terminal device can have a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna to ensure communication quality.

[0126] In some embodiments, the terminal device reports capability information to the network device in a certain format, including:

[0127] Report capability information to the network side device. The capability information is reported in the form of frequency band combination, that is, each frequency band combination reports one or a group of capability information. Among them, the frequency band combination includes at least two frequency bands. For example, the first frequency band combination includes the first frequency band and the second frequency band, two frequency bands. For another example, the second frequency band combination includes the first frequency band, the second frequency band and the third frequency band, three frequency bands. Or,

[0128] Report capability information to the network side device. The capability information is reported in the form of frequency bands, that is, one or a group of capability information is reported for each frequency band.

[0129] In the disclosed embodiment, the terminal device reports capability information to the network side device. The capability information includes preparation time, which can ensure that the network side device and the terminal device have a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna to ensure communication quality.

[0130] In the disclosed embodiment, a terminal device reports capability information to a network device. The capability information includes first uplink frequency band information and second uplink frequency band information. The first uplink frequency band information, such as switched UL information, indicates that only one frequency band can be transmitted at a time. The second uplink frequency band information, such as dual UL information, indicates that two frequency bands can be transmitted simultaneously.

[0131] In some embodiments, the first signaling from the terminal device to the network device includes at least one of the following:

[0132] Sending a first signaling to a network-side device via a physical uplink shared channel PUSCH;

[0133] Sending a first signaling to a network side device via a physical uplink control channel PUCCH;

[0134] Send uplink control information (UCI) to the network side device.

[0135] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal device sends a first signaling to the network side device through PUSCH (physical uplink shared channel). The first signaling includes a preparation time, which can ensure that the network side device and the terminal device can maintain a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, so as to ensure communication quality.

[0136] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal device sends a first signaling to the network side device through PUCCH (physical uplink control channel). The first signaling includes a preparation time, which can ensure that the network side device and the terminal device can maintain a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, so as to ensure communication quality.

[0137] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal device sends UCI (uplink control information) to the network side device, and sends the first signaling to the network side device. The first signaling includes a preparation time, which can ensure that the network side device and the terminal device can maintain a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, so as to ensure communication quality.

[0138] It should be noted that the above embodiments are not exhaustive and are only illustrations of some embodiments. The above embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination. The above embodiments are only for illustration and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0139] It is understandable that, when the terminal device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, it is expected to cancel or stop the interaction with the network-side device within the preparation time.

[0140] In some embodiments, the terminal device expects to stop performing uplink transmission within the preparation time; and / or stop receiving downlink transmission from the network side device within the preparation time.

[0141] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the terminal device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, the terminal device expects to stop uplink transmission within the preparation time.

[0142] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the terminal device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, the terminal device expects to stop receiving the downlink transmission of the network side device within the preparation time.

[0143] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the terminal device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, the terminal device expects to stop uplink transmission within the preparation time and stop receiving downlink transmission from the network side device within the preparation time.

[0144] In some embodiments, the terminal device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, including: the terminal device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna in response to meeting a specific condition.

[0145] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna. The preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna may be determined only when specific conditions are met.

[0146] In some embodiments, the specific conditions include at least one of the following:

[0147] The switching mode of the terminal device involves two frequency bands;

[0148] The switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands;

[0149] The uplink antenna switching of the terminal device occurs between different switching schemes.

[0150] It should be noted that the above embodiments are not exhaustive and are only illustrations of some embodiments. The above embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination. The above embodiments are only for illustration and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0151] In some embodiments, switching modes includes at least one of the following:

[0152] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of two single ports and the uplink frequency bands of another two single ports;

[0153] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of two single ports and the uplink frequency band of another single port;

[0154] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of two single ports and the uplink frequency band of another dual port;

[0155] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of the two single ports and the uplink frequency band of one of the single ports;

[0156] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of the two single ports and the uplink frequency band of one of the dual ports;

[0157] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency band of one single port and the uplink frequency band of another single port:

[0158] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency band of one dual-port and the uplink frequency band of another dual-port:

[0159] Before the switching, the first port state of the terminal device is in the first frequency band, and the second port is in the pre-stored state of the second frequency band; and after the switching, at least one port state is in the third frequency band.

[0160] In a possible implementation, the specific condition includes that a switching mode of the terminal device involves two frequency bands, wherein the switching mode includes switching between an uplink frequency band of a single port and an uplink frequency band of another single port.

[0161] In another possible implementation, the specific condition includes that a switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands, wherein the switching mode includes switching between two single-port uplink frequency bands and another two single-port uplink frequency bands.

[0162] In one possible implementation, the specific conditions include that the switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands, wherein the switching mode includes that the first port state is in the first frequency band before switching, the second port is in a pre-stored state of the second frequency band, and after switching, at least one port state is in the third frequency band.

[0163] It should be noted that the above implementation is only for illustration, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

[0164] In some embodiments, the first port state is in the first frequency band, which is a state before switching, and the terminal device can send data through the first port in the first frequency band.

[0165] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first port state is in the first frequency band, which may be a state before switching, and the terminal device can send data through the first port in the first frequency band.

[0166] In some embodiments, the second port is in a pre-stored state in the second frequency band, which is a state before switching, and the terminal device does not send data through the second port.

[0167] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the second port state is in a pre-stored state in the second frequency band, which may be a state before switching, in which the terminal device does not send data through the second port.

[0168] In some embodiments, the switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands, including at least one of the following:

[0169] The terminal device supports three frequency bands, and switching occurs between the three bands;

[0170] The terminal device supports four frequency bands, the network-side device or protocol configures three of these frequency bands, and switching occurs between the three frequency bands;

[0171] The terminal device supports four frequency bands, and switching occurs between the four frequency bands.

[0172] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands, including that the terminal device supports three frequency bands, and switching occurs between the three frequency bands.

[0173] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands, including that the terminal device supports four frequency bands, the network side device is configured with three of the frequency bands, and switching occurs between the three frequency bands.

[0174] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands, including that the terminal device supports four frequency bands, and switching occurs between the four frequency bands.

[0175] It should be noted that the above embodiments are not exhaustive and are only illustrations of some embodiments. The above embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination. The above embodiments are only for illustration and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0176] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the specific condition includes that the uplink antenna switching occurs between different switching schemes, where the different switching schemes may include different schemes as shown in the following Table 1:

[0177] Table 1

[0178] Switching Scheme Band #1 Band #2 Band #3 Band#4 Solution #1 1 1 0 0 Solution #2 1 0 1 0 Solution #3 1 0 0 1 Solution #4 0 1 1 0 Solution #5 0 1 0 1 Solution #6 0 0 1 1 Solution #7 2 0 0 0 Solution #8 0 2 0 0 Solution #9 0 0 2 0 Solution #10 0 0 0 2 Solution #11 1 1 0 - Solution #12 1 0 1 - Solution #13 0 1 1 - Solution #14 2 0 0 - Solution #15 0 2 0 - Plan #16 0 0 2 -

[0179] Among them, for scheme #1 to scheme #10, the terminal device supports 4 frequency bands (band #1, band #2, band3# and band #4); for scheme #11 to scheme #16, the terminal device supports 3 frequency bands (band #1, band #2 and band3#). "0" means that there is no antenna pointing to the frequency band, "1" means that there is an antenna pointing to the frequency band, and "2" means that there are two antennas pointing to the frequency band.

[0180] In some embodiments, the terminal device is provided with at least a first antenna and a second antenna; and the switching scheme includes at least one of the following:

[0181] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the second frequency band:

[0182] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the third frequency band;

[0183] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the fourth frequency band;

[0184] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the second frequency band, and the second antenna points to the third frequency band;

[0185] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the second frequency band, and the second antenna points to the fourth frequency band;

[0186] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the third frequency band, and the second antenna points to the fourth frequency band;

[0187] The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are pointed at the first frequency band;

[0188] The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are pointed at the second frequency band;

[0189] The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are directed toward the third frequency band;

[0190] The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are directed toward the fourth frequency band.

[0191] It should be noted that the above embodiments are not exhaustive and are only illustrations of some embodiments. The above embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination. The above embodiments are only for illustration and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0192] In one possible implementation, the specific condition includes that the uplink antenna switching occurs between different switching schemes, where the different switching schemes may be: Scheme 1#: the first antenna points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the second frequency band; Scheme 2#: the first antenna points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the third frequency band; the specific condition includes that the uplink antenna switching occurs between Scheme 1# and Scheme 2#, for example, switching from Scheme 1# to Scheme 2#, or switching from Scheme 2# to Scheme 1#.

[0193] It should be noted that the above implementation scheme is only for illustration and is not a specific limitation on the embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, the switching scheme may also be other schemes besides Scheme 1# and Scheme 2#.

[0194] By implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure, a terminal device determines a preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, where the preparation time includes a first preparation time and / or a second antenna switching time. This supports determining the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching to ensure communication quality.

[0195] See Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a flowchart of another method for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0196] like Figure 3As shown, the method is executed by a network-side device, and the method may include but is not limited to the following steps:

[0197] S31: The network side device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, wherein the preparation time includes a first time for preparation and / or a second time for antenna switching.

[0198] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the network side device can default to a time and determine it as the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, or it can also receive the time reported by the terminal device and determine it as the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna.

[0199] Among them, for different terminal devices, the network side device can uniformly default to a time as the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, or the network side device can default to different times for different terminal devices, that is, the preparation time required for different terminal devices to switch the uplink antenna can be different.

[0200] Among them, different terminal devices can be terminal devices with different terminal capabilities, or terminal devices with different types, or terminal devices that perform different communication tasks, etc., and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not impose specific restrictions on this.

[0201] In some embodiments, the network side device receives the preparation time reported by the terminal device.

[0202] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a network-side device may receive the preparation time reported by a terminal device, and determine the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching.

[0203] Among them, the terminal device can support reporting the preparation time to the network side device when determining the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, so as to ensure that the network side device and the terminal device can maintain a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, so as to ensure the communication quality.

[0204] In some embodiments, the network-side device receives the preparation time reported by the terminal device, including:

[0205] Receiving capability information reported by a terminal device, wherein the capability information includes preparation time; or

[0206] Receive first signaling sent by the terminal device, where the first signaling includes a preparation time.

[0207] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the network side device receives capability information reported by the terminal device, and the capability information includes preparation time, which can ensure that the network side device and the terminal device have a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, so as to ensure communication quality.

[0208] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a network side device receives a first signaling sent by a terminal device. The first signaling includes a preparation time, which can ensure that the network side device and the terminal device can have a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, so as to ensure communication quality.

[0209] In some embodiments, the network-side device receives first signaling sent by the terminal device, including at least one of the following:

[0210] Receiving first signaling sent by the terminal device through the PUSCH;

[0211] Receiving first signaling sent by the terminal device through the PUCCH;

[0212] Receive UCI sent by the terminal device.

[0213] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a network side device receives a first signaling sent by a terminal device through a PUSCH. The first signaling includes a preparation time, which can ensure that the network side device and the terminal device can have a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, so as to ensure communication quality.

[0214] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a network side device receives a first signaling sent by a terminal device through a PUCCH. The first signaling includes a preparation time, which can ensure that the network side device and the terminal device have a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, so as to ensure communication quality.

[0215] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the network side device receives the UCI sent by the terminal device and receives the first signaling, which includes the preparation time, so as to ensure that the network side device and the terminal device can have a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, so as to ensure the communication quality.

[0216] Among them, the preparation time may include the first time used for preparation. For example, the preparation time includes the time from the terminal device determining that the uplink antenna switching is required to the actual uplink antenna switching. For example, the preparation time includes the time required for the terminal device to perform related preparatory work in order to accurately perform the uplink antenna switching, such as memory update, memory confirmation, memory refresh, uplink / downlink transmission sorting, etc.

[0217] The preparation time may include a second time for antenna switching. Exemplarily, the preparation time includes the time from the start of uplink antenna switching to the completion of uplink antenna switching of the terminal device.

[0218] The preparation time may include a first time for preparation and a second time for antenna switching. Exemplarily, the preparation time includes the time from when the terminal device determines that uplink antenna switching is required to when the uplink antenna switching is actually completed.

[0219] In some embodiments, the preparation time includes at least one of the following:

[0220] The time required for the terminal device to refresh the memory unit;

[0221] The time required for the terminal device to load the memory unit;

[0222] The time when the terminal device interrupts all current transmissions;

[0223] The time when the network side device stops scheduling the terminal device.

[0224] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the preparation time includes the time required for the terminal device to refresh the memory unit.

[0225] It can be understood that the preparation time includes a first time for preparation and / or a second time for antenna switching, and when the preparation time includes the time required for the terminal device to refresh the memory unit, the first time may include the time required for the terminal device to refresh the memory unit.

[0226] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the preparation time includes the time required for the terminal device to load the memory unit.

[0227] It can be understood that the preparation time includes a first time for preparation and / or a second time for antenna switching, and when the preparation time includes the time required for the terminal device to load the memory unit, the first time may include the time required for the terminal device to load the memory unit.

[0228] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the preparation time includes the time when the terminal device interrupts all current transmissions.

[0229] It can be understood that the preparation time includes the first time for preparation and / or the second time for antenna switching, and when the preparation time includes the time when the terminal device interrupts all current transmissions, the first time may include the time when the terminal device interrupts all current transmissions.

[0230] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the preparation time includes the time when the network side device stops scheduling the terminal device.

[0231] It can be understood that the preparation time includes the first time for preparation and / or the second time for antenna switching, and when the preparation time includes the time when the network side device stops scheduling the terminal device, the first time may include the time when the network side device stops scheduling the terminal device.

[0232] It should be noted that the above embodiments are not exhaustive and are only illustrations of some embodiments. The above embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination. The above embodiments are only for illustration and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0233] It is understandable that, when the network-side device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, it is expected to cancel or stop the interaction with the terminal device within the preparation time.

[0234] In some embodiments, the network side device stops receiving uplink transmissions from the terminal device during the preparation time; and / or stops performing downlink transmissions during the preparation time.

[0235] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the network side device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, it can stop receiving the uplink transmission of the terminal device during the preparation time.

[0236] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the network side device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, it can stop downlink transmission during the preparation time.

[0237] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the terminal device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, the terminal device can stop receiving the uplink transmission of the terminal device during the preparation time, and stop performing downlink transmission during the preparation time.

[0238] In some embodiments, the network side device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, including: in response to meeting a specific condition, determining the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna.

[0239] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the network side device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna. The network side device may determine the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna only when specific conditions are met.

[0240] In some embodiments, the specific conditions include at least one of the following:

[0241] The switching mode of the terminal device involves two frequency bands;

[0242] The switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands;

[0243] The uplink antenna switching of the terminal device occurs between different switching schemes.

[0244] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the specific condition includes that the switching mode of the terminal device involves two frequency bands.

[0245] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the specific condition includes that the switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands.

[0246] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the specific condition includes that the uplink antenna switching of the terminal device occurs between different switching schemes.

[0247] It should be noted that the above embodiments are not exhaustive and are only illustrations of some embodiments. The above embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination. The above embodiments are only for illustration and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0248] In some embodiments, switching modes includes at least one of the following:

[0249] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of two single ports and the uplink frequency bands of another two single ports;

[0250] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of two single ports and the uplink frequency band of another single port;

[0251] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of two single ports and the uplink frequency band of another dual port;

[0252] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of the two single ports and the uplink frequency band of one of the single ports;

[0253] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of the two single ports and the uplink frequency band of one of the dual ports;

[0254] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency band of one single port and the uplink frequency band of another single port;

[0255] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency band of one dual-port and the uplink frequency band of another dual-port;

[0256] Before the switching, the first port state of the terminal device is in the first frequency band, and the second port is in the pre-stored state of the second frequency band. After the switching, at least one port state is in the third frequency band.

[0257] It should be noted that the above embodiments are not exhaustive and are only illustrations of some embodiments. The above embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination. The above embodiments are only for illustration and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0258] In a possible implementation, the specific condition includes that the switching mode involves two frequency bands, wherein the switching mode includes switching between an uplink frequency band of a single port and an uplink frequency band of another single port.

[0259] In another possible implementation, the specific condition includes that the switching mode involves more than two frequency bands, wherein the switching mode includes switching between two single-port uplink frequency bands and another two single-port uplink frequency bands.

[0260] In another possible implementation, the specific conditions include a switching mode involving more than two frequency bands, wherein the switching mode includes a first port state being in a first frequency band before switching, a second port being in a pre-stored state of a second frequency band, and at least one port state being in a third frequency band after switching.

[0261] It should be noted that the above implementation is only for illustration and is not a specific limitation to the embodiments of the present disclosure, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

[0262] In some embodiments, the first port state is in the first frequency band, which is a state before switching, and the terminal device can send data through the first port in the first frequency band.

[0263] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first port state is in the first frequency band, which may be a state before switching, and the terminal device can send data through the first port in the first frequency band.

[0264] In some embodiments, the second port is in a pre-stored state in the second frequency band, which is a state before switching, and the terminal device does not send data through the second port.

[0265] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the second port state is in a pre-stored state in the second frequency band, which may be a state before switching, in which the terminal device does not send data through the second port.

[0266] In some embodiments, the switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands, including at least one of the following:

[0267] The terminal device supports three frequency bands, and switching occurs between the three bands;

[0268] The terminal device supports four frequency bands, the network-side device is configured with three of these bands, and switching occurs between the three bands;

[0269] The terminal device supports four frequency bands, and switching occurs between the four frequency bands.

[0270] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands, including that the terminal device supports three frequency bands, and switching occurs between the three frequency bands.

[0271] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands, including that the terminal device supports four frequency bands, the network side device is configured with three of the frequency bands, and switching occurs between the three frequency bands.

[0272] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands, including that the terminal device supports four frequency bands, and switching occurs between the four frequency bands.

[0273] It should be noted that the above embodiments are not exhaustive and are only illustrations of some embodiments. The above embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination. The above embodiments are only for illustration and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0274] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the specific condition includes that the uplink antenna switching occurs between different switching schemes, wherein the different switching schemes may include different schemes as shown in Table 1 above.

[0275] In some embodiments, the terminal device is provided with at least a first antenna and a second antenna; and the switching scheme includes at least one of the following:

[0276] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the second frequency band;

[0277] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the third frequency band;

[0278] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the fourth frequency band;

[0279] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the second frequency band, and the second antenna points to the third frequency band;

[0280] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the second frequency band, and the second antenna points to the fourth frequency band;

[0281] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the third frequency band, and the second antenna points to the fourth frequency band;

[0282] The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are pointed at the first frequency band;

[0283] The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are pointed at the second frequency band;

[0284] The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are directed toward the third frequency band;

[0285] The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are directed toward the fourth frequency band.

[0286] It should be noted that the above embodiments are not exhaustive and are only illustrations of some embodiments. The above embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination. The above embodiments are only for illustration and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0287] In one possible implementation, the specific condition includes that the uplink antenna switching occurs between different switching schemes, where the different switching schemes may be: Scheme 1#: the first antenna points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the second frequency band; Scheme 2#: the first antenna points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the third frequency band; the specific condition includes that the uplink antenna switching occurs between Scheme 1# and Scheme 2#, for example, switching from Scheme 1# to Scheme 2#, or switching from Scheme 2# to Scheme 1#.

[0288] It should be noted that the above implementation scheme is only for illustration and is not a specific limitation on the embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, the switching scheme may also be other schemes besides Scheme 1# and Scheme 2#.

[0289] It is understandable that in order to ensure communication quality, the network-side device needs to maintain a consistent understanding with the terminal device of the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna.

[0290] Based on this, when the network side device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, the network side device can send the preparation time to the terminal device.

[0291] In some embodiments, the network side device sends indication information to the terminal device, wherein the indication information is used to indicate the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching.

[0292] In the disclosed embodiments, a network device may send instruction information to a terminal device to indicate the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching. Upon receiving the instruction information from the network device, the terminal device may determine the preparation time based on the instruction information. This ensures that the network device and the terminal device have a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, thereby ensuring communication quality.

[0293] In some embodiments, the network side device sends indication information to the terminal device, including at least one of the following:

[0294] Sending semi-static signaling to terminal equipment;

[0295] Send MAC CE to the terminal device;

[0296] Send DCI to the terminal device.

[0297] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the network side device sends indication information to the terminal device, and can send semi-static signaling to the terminal device, wherein the semi-static signaling refers to RRC (Radio Resource Control) signaling, and the RRC signaling includes indication information. Thus, the terminal device can determine the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching as indicated by the network side device, and can ensure that the network side device and the terminal device can maintain a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, so as to ensure communication quality.

[0298] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the network side device sends indication information to the terminal device, and may send a MACCE to the terminal device, wherein the MAC CE includes the indication information. Thus, the terminal device can determine the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform the uplink antenna switching as indicated by the network side device, and can ensure that the network side device and the terminal device can maintain a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform the uplink antenna switching, so as to ensure the communication quality.

[0299] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the network side device sends indication information to the terminal device, and may send DCI to the terminal device, wherein the DCI includes the indication information. Thus, the terminal device can determine the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching as indicated by the network side device, and can ensure that the network side device and the terminal device can have a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, so as to ensure communication quality.

[0300] It should be noted that the above embodiments are not exhaustive and are only illustrations of some embodiments. The above embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination. The above embodiments are only for illustration and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0301] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, S31 can be implemented alone or in combination with any other step in the embodiment of the present disclosure, for example, in combination with S21 in the embodiment of the present disclosure, and the embodiment of the present disclosure does not limit this.

[0302] By implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure, a network-side device determines the preparation time required for a terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, where the preparation time includes a first preparation time and / or a second antenna switching time. This supports determining the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, thereby ensuring communication quality.

[0303] See Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is a flowchart of another method for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0304] like Figure 4 As shown, the method may include but is not limited to the following steps:

[0305] S41: In response to a specific condition being met, the terminal device determines a preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, where the preparation time includes a first time for preparation and / or a second time for antenna switching.

[0306] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal device may determine the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna only when specific conditions are met.

[0307] In some embodiments, the specific conditions include at least one of the following:

[0308] The switching mode of the terminal device involves two frequency bands;

[0309] The switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands;

[0310] The uplink antenna switching of the terminal device occurs between different switching schemes.

[0311] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the specific condition includes that the switching mode of the terminal device involves two frequency bands.

[0312] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the specific condition includes that the switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands.

[0313] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the specific condition includes that the uplink antenna switching of the terminal device occurs between different switching schemes.

[0314] It should be noted that the above embodiments are not exhaustive and are only illustrations of some embodiments. The above embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination. The above embodiments are only for illustration and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0315] In some embodiments, switching modes includes at least one of the following:

[0316] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of two single ports and the uplink frequency bands of another two single ports;

[0317] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of two single ports and the uplink frequency band of another single port;

[0318] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of two single ports and the uplink frequency band of another dual port:

[0319] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of the two single ports and the uplink frequency band of one of the single ports;

[0320] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of the two single ports and the uplink frequency band of one of the dual ports;

[0321] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency band of one single port and the uplink frequency band of another single port;

[0322] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency band of one dual-port and the uplink frequency band of another dual-port;

[0323] Before the switching, the first port state of the terminal device is in the first frequency band, and the second port is in the pre-stored state of the second frequency band. After the switching, at least one port state is in the third frequency band.

[0324] It should be noted that the above embodiments are not exhaustive and are only illustrations of some embodiments. The above embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination. The above embodiments are only for illustration and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0325] In a possible implementation, the specific condition includes that the switching mode involves two frequency bands, wherein the switching mode includes switching between an uplink frequency band of a single port and an uplink frequency band of another single port.

[0326] In another possible implementation, the specific condition includes that the switching mode involves more than two frequency bands, wherein the switching mode includes switching between two single-port uplink frequency bands and another two single-port uplink frequency bands.

[0327] In another possible implementation, the specific conditions include a switching mode involving more than two frequency bands, wherein the switching mode includes a first port state being in a first frequency band before switching, a second port being in a pre-stored state of a second frequency band, and at least one port state being in a third frequency band after switching.

[0328] It should be noted that the above implementation is only for illustration and is not a specific limitation to the embodiments of the present disclosure, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

[0329] In some embodiments, the first port state is in the first frequency band, which is a state before switching, and the terminal device can send data through the first port in the first frequency band.

[0330] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first port state is in the first frequency band, which may be a state before switching, and the terminal device can send data through the first port in the first frequency band.

[0331] In some embodiments, the second port is in a pre-stored state in the second frequency band, which is a state before switching, and the terminal device does not send data through the second port.

[0332] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the second port state is in a pre-stored state in the second frequency band, which may be a state before switching, in which the terminal device does not send data through the second port.

[0333] In some embodiments, the switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands, including at least one of the following:

[0334] The terminal device supports three frequency bands, and switching occurs between the three bands;

[0335] The terminal device supports four frequency bands, the network-side device is configured with three of these bands, and switching occurs between the three bands;

[0336] The terminal device supports four frequency bands, and switching occurs between the four frequency bands.

[0337] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands, including that the terminal device supports three frequency bands, and switching occurs between the three frequency bands.

[0338] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands, including that the terminal device supports four frequency bands, the network side device is configured with three of the frequency bands, and switching occurs between the three frequency bands.

[0339] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands, including that the terminal device supports four frequency bands, and switching occurs between the four frequency bands.

[0340] It should be noted that the above embodiments are not exhaustive and are only illustrations of some embodiments. The above embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination. The above embodiments are only for illustration and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0341] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the specific condition includes that the uplink antenna switching occurs between different switching schemes, wherein the different switching schemes may include different schemes as shown in Table 1 above.

[0342] In some embodiments, the terminal device is provided with at least a first antenna and a second antenna; and the switching scheme includes at least one of the following:

[0343] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the second frequency band;

[0344] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the third frequency band;

[0345] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the fourth frequency band;

[0346] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the second frequency band, and the second antenna points to the third frequency band;

[0347] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the second frequency band, and the second antenna points to the fourth frequency band;

[0348] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the third frequency band, and the second antenna points to the fourth frequency band;

[0349] The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are pointed at the first frequency band;

[0350] The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are pointed at the second frequency band;

[0351] The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are directed toward the third frequency band;

[0352] The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are directed toward the fourth frequency band.

[0353] It should be noted that the above embodiments are not exhaustive and are only illustrations of some embodiments. The above embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination. The above embodiments are only for illustration and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0354] In one possible implementation, the specific condition includes that the uplink antenna switching occurs between different switching schemes, where the different switching schemes may be: Scheme 1#: the first antenna points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the second frequency band; Scheme 2#: the first antenna points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the third frequency band; the specific condition includes that the uplink antenna switching occurs between Scheme 1# and Scheme 2#, for example, switching from Scheme 1# to Scheme 2#, or switching from Scheme 2# to Scheme 1#.

[0355] It should be noted that the above implementation scheme is only for illustration and is not a specific limitation on the embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, the switching scheme may also be other schemes besides Scheme 1# and Scheme 2#.

[0356] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, S41 can be implemented alone or in combination with any other step in the embodiment of the present disclosure, for example, in combination with S21 and / or S31 in the embodiment of the present disclosure, and the embodiment of the present disclosure does not limit this.

[0357] By implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure, a terminal device determines, in response to a specific condition being met, a preparation time required for the terminal device to perform an uplink antenna switch, where the preparation time includes a first preparation time and / or a second antenna switch time. Thus, it is possible to support determining the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform an uplink antenna switch when the specific condition is met, thereby ensuring communication quality.

[0358] See Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is a flowchart of a method for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0359] like Figure 5 As shown, the method may include but is not limited to the following steps:

[0360] S51: In response to a specific condition being met, the network side device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, wherein the preparation time includes a first time for preparation and / or a second time for antenna switching.

[0361] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the network side device may determine the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching only when specific conditions are met.

[0362] In some embodiments, the specific conditions include at least one of the following:

[0363] The switching mode of the terminal device involves two frequency bands;

[0364] The switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands;

[0365] The uplink antenna switching of the terminal device occurs between different switching schemes.

[0366] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the specific condition includes that the switching mode of the terminal device involves two frequency bands.

[0367] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the specific condition includes that the switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands.

[0368] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the specific condition includes that the uplink antenna switching of the terminal device occurs between different switching schemes.

[0369] It should be noted that the above embodiments are not exhaustive and are only illustrations of some embodiments. The above embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination. The above embodiments are only for illustration and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0370] In some embodiments, switching modes includes at least one of the following:

[0371] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of two single ports and the uplink frequency bands of another two single ports:

[0372] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of two single ports and the uplink frequency band of another single port;

[0373] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of two single ports and the uplink frequency band of another dual port;

[0374] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of the two single ports and the uplink frequency band of one of the single ports;

[0375] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of the two single ports and the uplink frequency band of one of the dual ports;

[0376] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency band of one single port and the uplink frequency band of another single port;

[0377] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency band of one dual-port and the uplink frequency band of another dual-port;

[0378] Before the switching, the first port state of the terminal device is in the first frequency band, and the second port is in the pre-stored state of the second frequency band. After the switching, at least one port state is in the third frequency band.

[0379] It should be noted that the above embodiments are not exhaustive and are only illustrations of some embodiments. The above embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination. The above embodiments are only for illustration and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0380] In a possible implementation, the specific condition includes that the switching mode involves two frequency bands, wherein the switching mode includes switching between an uplink frequency band of a single port and an uplink frequency band of another single port.

[0381] In another possible implementation, the specific condition includes that the switching mode involves more than two frequency bands, wherein the switching mode includes switching between two single-port uplink frequency bands and another two single-port uplink frequency bands.

[0382] In another possible implementation, the specific conditions include a switching mode involving more than two frequency bands, wherein the switching mode includes a first port state being in a first frequency band before switching, a second port being in a pre-stored state of a second frequency band, and at least one port state being in a third frequency band after switching.

[0383] It should be noted that the above implementation is only for illustration and is not a specific limitation to the embodiments of the present disclosure, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

[0384] In some embodiments, the first port state is in the first frequency band, which is a state before switching, and the terminal device can send data through the first port in the first frequency band.

[0385] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first port state is in the first frequency band, which may be a state before switching, and the terminal device can send data through the first port in the first frequency band.

[0386] In some embodiments, the second port is in a pre-stored state in the second frequency band, which is a state before switching, and the terminal device does not send data through the second port.

[0387] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the second port state is in a pre-stored state in the second frequency band, which may be a state before switching, in which the terminal device does not send data through the second port.

[0388] In some embodiments, the switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands, including at least one of the following:

[0389] The terminal device supports three frequency bands, and switching occurs between the three bands;

[0390] The terminal device supports four frequency bands, the network-side device is configured with three of these bands, and switching occurs between the three bands;

[0391] The terminal device supports four frequency bands, and switching occurs between the four frequency bands.

[0392] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands, including that the terminal device supports three frequency bands, and switching occurs between the three frequency bands.

[0393] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands, including that the terminal device supports four frequency bands, the network side device is configured with three of the frequency bands, and switching occurs between the three frequency bands.

[0394] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands, including that the terminal device supports four frequency bands, and switching occurs between the four frequency bands.

[0395] It should be noted that the above embodiments are not exhaustive and are only illustrations of some embodiments. The above embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination. The above embodiments are only for illustration and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0396] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the specific condition includes that the uplink antenna switching occurs between different switching schemes, wherein the different switching schemes may include different schemes as shown in Table 1 above.

[0397] In some embodiments, the terminal device is provided with at least a first antenna and a second antenna; and the switching scheme includes at least one of the following:

[0398] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the second frequency band;

[0399] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the third frequency band;

[0400] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the fourth frequency band;

[0401] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the second frequency band, and the second antenna points to the third frequency band;

[0402] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the second frequency band, and the second antenna points to the fourth frequency band;

[0403] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the third frequency band, and the second antenna points to the fourth frequency band;

[0404] The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are pointed at the first frequency band;

[0405] The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are pointed at the second frequency band;

[0406] The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are directed toward the third frequency band;

[0407] The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are directed toward the fourth frequency band.

[0408] It should be noted that the above embodiments are not exhaustive and are only illustrations of some embodiments. The above embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination. The above embodiments are only for illustration and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0409] In one possible implementation, the specific conditions include that the uplink antenna switching of the terminal device occurs between different switching schemes, where the different switching schemes may be: Scheme 1#: the first antenna points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the second frequency band, Scheme 2#: the first antenna points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the third frequency band, and the specific conditions include that the uplink antenna switching occurs between Scheme 1# and Scheme 2#, for example, switching from Scheme 1# to Scheme 2#, or switching from Scheme 2# to Scheme 1#.

[0410] It should be noted that the above implementation scheme is only for illustration and is not a specific limitation on the embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, the switching scheme may also be other schemes besides Scheme 1# and Scheme 2#.

[0411] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, S51 can be implemented alone or in combination with any other step in the embodiment of the present disclosure, for example, in combination with S21 and / or S31 and / or S41 in the embodiment of the present disclosure, and the embodiment of the present disclosure does not limit this.

[0412] By implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure, a network-side device determines, in response to a specific condition being met, the preparation time required for a terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, where the preparation time includes a first preparation time and / or a second antenna switching time. This allows for determining the preparation time required for an uplink antenna switching by a terminal device when specific conditions are met, thereby ensuring communication quality.

[0413] See Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is a flowchart of another method for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0414] like Figure 6 As shown, the method may include but is not limited to the following steps:

[0415] S61: The terminal device determines a preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, wherein the preparation time includes a first time for preparation and / or a second time for antenna switching.

[0416] For the relevant description of S61, reference may be made to the relevant description in the above embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0417] S62: The terminal device stops performing uplink transmission within the preparation time; and / or stops receiving downlink transmission from the network side device within the preparation time.

[0418] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the terminal device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, the terminal device may stop uplink transmission during the preparation time.

[0419] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the terminal device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, the terminal device can stop receiving the downlink transmission of the network side device during the preparation time.

[0420] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the terminal device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, it can stop uplink transmission within the preparation time and stop receiving downlink transmission from the network side device within the preparation time.

[0421] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, S61 and S62 can be implemented separately, or they can be implemented together with any other steps in the embodiment of the present disclosure, for example, they can be implemented together with S21 and / or S31 and / or S41 and / or S51 in the embodiment of the present disclosure, and the embodiment of the present disclosure does not limit this.

[0422] By implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure, a terminal device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch uplink antennas, where the preparation time includes a first preparation time and / or a second antenna switching time. The terminal device stops performing uplink transmissions during the preparation time and / or stops receiving downlink transmissions from network-side devices during the preparation time. This supports determining the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch uplink antennas, and stopping uplink transmissions and / or stopping receiving downlink transmissions from network-side devices during the preparation time to ensure communication quality.

[0423] See Figure 7 , Figure 7 This is a flowchart of a method for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0424] like Figure 7 As shown, the method may include but is not limited to the following steps:

[0425] S71: The network side device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, wherein the preparation time includes a first time for preparation and / or a second time for antenna switching.

[0426] For the description of the preparation time in S71, please refer to the relevant description in the above embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0427] S72: The network side device stops receiving uplink transmission from the terminal device within the preparation time; and / or, the network side device stops performing downlink transmission within the preparation time.

[0428] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the network side device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, it can stop receiving the uplink transmission of the terminal device during the preparation time.

[0429] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the network side device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, it can stop downlink transmission during the preparation time.

[0430] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the terminal device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, the terminal device can stop receiving the uplink transmission of the terminal device during the preparation time, and stop performing downlink transmission during the preparation time.

[0431] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present disclosure, S71 and S72 can be implemented separately or in combination with any other steps in the embodiments of the present disclosure, for example, they can be implemented in combination with S21 and / or S31 and / or S41 and / or S51 and / or S61 and S62 in the embodiments of the present disclosure, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this.

[0432] By implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure, a network-side device determines the preparation time required for a terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, where the preparation time includes a first preparation time and / or a second antenna switching time. The network-side device stops receiving uplink transmissions from the terminal device during the preparation time and / or stops performing downlink transmissions during the preparation time. This supports determining the preparation time required for a terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, and stops receiving uplink transmissions from the terminal device and / or stops performing downlink transmissions during the preparation time to ensure communication quality.

[0433] See Figure 8 , Figure 8 This is a flowchart of another method for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0434] like Figure 8 As shown, the method may include but is not limited to the following steps:

[0435] S81: The terminal device determines a preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, wherein the preparation time includes a first time for preparation and / or a second time for antenna switching.

[0436] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal device may determine the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna based on implementation, or may also determine the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna based on protocol agreement.

[0437] For the description of the preparation time, please refer to the description in the above embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0438] S82: The terminal device reports the preparation time to the network side device.

[0439] S83: The network side device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna.

[0440] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the terminal device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, it supports reporting the preparation time to the network side device, which can ensure that the network side device and the terminal device can have a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, so as to ensure communication quality.

[0441] In some embodiments, the terminal device reports the preparation time to the network device, including:

[0442] Report capability information to the network side device, where the capability information includes preparation time; or

[0443] A first signaling is sent to a network-side device, where the first signaling includes a preparation time.

[0444] In the disclosed embodiment, the terminal device reports capability information to the network side device. The capability information includes preparation time, which can ensure that the network side device and the terminal device have a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna to ensure communication quality.

[0445] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal device sends a first signaling to the network side device, and the first signaling includes a preparation time, which can ensure that the network side device and the terminal device can have a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna to ensure communication quality.

[0446] In some embodiments, the first signaling from the terminal device to the network device includes at least one of the following:

[0447] Sending a first signaling to a network-side device via a physical uplink shared channel PUSCH;

[0448] Sending a first signaling to a network side device via a physical uplink control channel PUCCH;

[0449] Send uplink control information (UCI) to the network side device.

[0450] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal device sends a first signaling to the network side device through PUSCH (physical uplink shared channel). The first signaling includes a preparation time, which can ensure that the network side device and the terminal device can maintain a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, so as to ensure communication quality.

[0451] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal device sends a first signaling to the network side device through PUCCH (physical uplink control channel). The first signaling includes a preparation time, which can ensure that the network side device and the terminal device can maintain a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, so as to ensure communication quality.

[0452] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal device sends UCI (uplink control information) to the network side device, and sends the first signaling to the network side device. The first signaling includes a preparation time, which can ensure that the network side device and the terminal device can maintain a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, so as to ensure communication quality.

[0453] It should be noted that the above embodiments are not exhaustive and are only illustrations of some embodiments. The above embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination. The above embodiments are only for illustration and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0454] It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present disclosure, S41 can be implemented alone or in combination with any other step in the embodiment of the present disclosure, for example, it can be implemented in combination with S21 and / or S31 and / or S41 and / or S51 and / or S61 and S62 and / or S71 and S72 in the embodiment of the present disclosure, and the embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to this.

[0455] By implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure, a terminal device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, where the preparation time includes a first preparation time and / or a second antenna switching time, and reports the preparation time to a network device, which then determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching. This ensures that the network device and the terminal device have a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, thereby ensuring communication quality.

[0456] See Figure 9 , Figure 9 This is a flowchart of another method for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0457] like Figure 9 As shown, the method may include but is not limited to the following steps:

[0458] S91: The network side device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna, wherein the preparation time includes a first time for preparation and / or a second time for antenna switching.

[0459] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the network side device may set a default time to determine the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna.

[0460] For the description of the preparation time, please refer to the description in the above embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0461] S92: The network side device sends indication information to the terminal device, where the indication information is used to indicate the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching.

[0462] S93: The terminal device determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to switch the uplink antenna.

[0463] In the disclosed embodiments, a network device may send instruction information to a terminal device to indicate the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching. Upon receiving the instruction information from the network device, the terminal device may determine the preparation time based on the instruction information. This ensures that the network device and the terminal device have a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, thereby ensuring communication quality.

[0464] In some embodiments, the network side device sends indication information to the terminal device, including at least one of the following:

[0465] Sending semi-static signaling to terminal equipment;

[0466] Send MAC CE to the terminal device;

[0467] Send DCI to the terminal device.

[0468] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the network side device sends indication information to the terminal device and can send semi-static signaling to the terminal device, wherein the semi-static signaling includes indication information. Thus, the terminal device can determine the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching as indicated by the network side device, and can ensure that the network side device and the terminal device can have a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, so as to ensure communication quality.

[0469] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the network side device sends indication information to the terminal device, and may send a MACCE to the terminal device, wherein the MAC CE includes the indication information. Thus, the terminal device can determine the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform the uplink antenna switching as indicated by the network side device, and can ensure that the network side device and the terminal device can maintain a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform the uplink antenna switching, so as to ensure the communication quality.

[0470] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the network side device sends indication information to the terminal device, and may send DCI to the terminal device, wherein the DCI includes the indication information. Thus, the terminal device can determine the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching as indicated by the network side device, and can ensure that the network side device and the terminal device can have a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, so as to ensure communication quality.

[0471] It should be noted that the above embodiments are not exhaustive and are only illustrations of some embodiments. The above embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination. The above embodiments are only for illustration and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0472] It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present disclosure, S51 can be implemented alone or in combination with any other step in the embodiment of the present disclosure, for example, it can be implemented in combination with S21 and / or S31 and / or S41 and / or S51 and / or S61 and S62 and / or S71 and S72 in the embodiment of the present disclosure, and the embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to this.

[0473] By implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure, a network-side device determines the preparation time required for a terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, where the preparation time includes a first preparation time and / or a second antenna switching time, and sends indication information to the terminal device, where the indication information is used to indicate the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching. The terminal device then determines the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching. This ensures that the network-side device and the terminal device have a consistent understanding of the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, thereby ensuring communication quality.

[0474] In the above embodiments provided by the present disclosure, the methods provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure are introduced from the perspectives of the terminal device, the network side device, and the interaction between the terminal device and the network side device.

[0475] See Figure 10 , which is a structural diagram of a communication device 1 provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 10 The communication device 1 shown may include a transceiver module 11 and a processing module 12. The transceiver module may include a sending module and / or a receiving module, the sending module is used to implement a sending function, and the receiving module is used to implement a receiving function. The transceiver module can implement a sending function and / or a receiving function.

[0476] The communication device 1 may be a terminal device, a device within a terminal device, or a device that can be used in conjunction with a terminal device. Alternatively, the communication device 1 may be a network-side device, a device within a network-side device, or a device that can be used in conjunction with a network-side device.

[0477] The communication device 1 is a terminal device:

[0478] The device includes: a processing module 12.

[0479] The processing module 12 is configured to determine a preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, wherein the preparation time includes a first time for preparation and / or a second time for antenna switching.

[0480] like Figure 10 As shown, in some embodiments, the device further includes: a transceiver module 11.

[0481] The transceiver module 11 is configured to report the preparation time to the network side device.

[0482] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 11 is further configured to report capability information to the network side device, wherein the capability information includes preparation time; or send a first signaling to the network side device, wherein the first signaling includes preparation time.

[0483] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 11 is further configured to perform at least one of the following:

[0484] Sending a first signaling to a network-side device via a physical uplink shared channel PUSCH;

[0485] Sending a first signaling to a network side device via a physical uplink control channel PUCCH;

[0486] Send uplink control information (UCI) to the network side device.

[0487] In some embodiments, the preparation time includes at least one of the following:

[0488] The time required for the terminal device to refresh the memory unit;

[0489] The time required for the terminal device to load the memory unit;

[0490] The time when the terminal device interrupts all current transmissions;

[0491] The time when the network side device stops scheduling the terminal device.

[0492] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 11 is further configured to stop uplink transmission during the preparation time; and / or stop receiving downlink transmission from the network-side device during the preparation time.

[0493] In some embodiments, the processing module 12 is further configured to determine the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching in response to meeting a specific condition.

[0494] In some embodiments, the specific conditions include at least one of the following:

[0495] The switching mode of the terminal device involves two frequency bands;

[0496] The switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands;

[0497] The uplink antenna switching of the terminal device occurs between different switching schemes.

[0498] In some embodiments, switching modes includes at least one of the following:

[0499] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of two single ports and the uplink frequency bands of another two single ports;

[0500] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of two single ports and the uplink frequency band of another single port;

[0501] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of two single ports and the uplink frequency band of another dual port;

[0502] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of the two single ports and the uplink frequency band of one of the single ports;

[0503] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of the two single ports and the uplink frequency band of one of the dual ports;

[0504] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency band of one single port and the uplink frequency band of another single port;

[0505] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency band of one dual-port and the uplink frequency band of another dual-port;

[0506] Before the switching, the first port state of the terminal device is in the first frequency band, and the second port is in the pre-stored state of the second frequency band. After the switching, at least one port state is in the third frequency band.

[0507] In some embodiments, the terminal device is provided with at least a first antenna and a second antenna; and the switching scheme includes at least one of the following:

[0508] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the second frequency band;

[0509] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the third frequency band;

[0510] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the fourth frequency band;

[0511] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the second frequency band, and the second antenna points to the third frequency band;

[0512] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the second frequency band, and the second antenna points to the fourth frequency band;

[0513] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the third frequency band, and the second antenna points to the fourth frequency band;

[0514] The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are pointed at the first frequency band;

[0515] The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are pointed at the second frequency band;

[0516] The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are directed toward the third frequency band;

[0517] The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are directed toward the fourth frequency band.

[0518] In some embodiments, the switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands, including at least one of the following:

[0519] The terminal device supports three frequency bands, and switching occurs between the three bands;

[0520] The terminal device supports four frequency bands, the network-side device is configured with three of these bands, and switching occurs between the three bands;

[0521] The terminal device supports four frequency bands, and switching occurs between the four frequency bands.

[0522] In some embodiments, the first port state is in the first frequency band, which is a state before switching, and the terminal device can send data through the first port in the first frequency band.

[0523] In some embodiments, the second port is in a pre-stored state in the second frequency band, which is a state before switching, and the terminal device does not send data through the second port.

[0524] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 11 is further configured to receive indication information sent by the network side device, wherein the indication information is used to indicate the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching;

[0525] The processing module 12 is further configured to determine the preparation time according to the instruction information.

[0526] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 11 is further configured to perform at least one of the following:

[0527] Receive semi-static signaling sent by network-side equipment;

[0528] Receive the media access control element MACCE sent by the network side device;

[0529] Receive downlink control information DCI sent by the network side device.

[0530] Communication device 1 is a network-side device:

[0531] The device includes: a processing module 12.

[0532] The processing module 12 is configured to determine a preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, wherein the preparation time includes a first time for preparation and / or a second time for antenna switching.

[0533] like Figure 10 As shown, the device further includes: a transceiver module 11.

[0534] The transceiver module 11 is configured to receive the preparation time reported by the terminal device.

[0535] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 11 is further configured to receive capability information reported by the terminal device, wherein the capability information includes preparation time; or receive first signaling sent by the terminal device, wherein the first signaling includes preparation time.

[0536] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 11 is further configured to perform at least one of the following:

[0537] Receiving first signaling sent by the terminal device through the PUSCH;

[0538] Receiving first signaling sent by the terminal device through the PUCCH;

[0539] Receive UCI sent by the terminal device.

[0540] In some embodiments, the preparation time includes at least one of the following:

[0541] The time required for the terminal device to refresh the memory unit;

[0542] The time required for the terminal device to load the memory unit;

[0543] The time when the terminal device interrupts all current transmissions;

[0544] The time when the network side device stops scheduling the terminal device.

[0545] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 11 is further configured to stop receiving uplink transmission from the terminal device within the preparation time; and / or stop performing downlink transmission within the preparation time.

[0546] In some embodiments, the processing module 12 is further configured to determine the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching in response to meeting a specific condition.

[0547] In some embodiments, the specific conditions include at least one of the following:

[0548] The switching mode of the terminal device involves two frequency bands;

[0549] The switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands;

[0550] The uplink antenna switching of the terminal device occurs between different switching schemes.

[0551] In some embodiments, switching modes includes at least one of the following:

[0552] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of two single ports and the uplink frequency bands of another two single ports;

[0553] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of two single ports and the uplink frequency band of another single port;

[0554] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of two single ports and the uplink frequency band of another dual port;

[0555] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of the two single ports and the uplink frequency band of one of the single ports;

[0556] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of the two single ports and the uplink frequency band of one of the dual ports;

[0557] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency band of one single port and the uplink frequency band of another single port;

[0558] The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency band of one dual-port and the uplink frequency band of another dual-port;

[0559] Before the switching, the first port state of the terminal device is in the first frequency band, and the second port is in the pre-stored state of the second frequency band. After the switching, at least one port state is in the third frequency band.

[0560] In some embodiments, the terminal device is provided with at least a first antenna and a second antenna; and the switching scheme includes at least one of the following:

[0561] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the second frequency band;

[0562] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the third frequency band;

[0563] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the fourth frequency band;

[0564] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the second frequency band, and the second antenna points to the third frequency band;

[0565] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the second frequency band, and the second antenna points to the fourth frequency band;

[0566] The first antenna of the terminal device points to the third frequency band, and the second antenna points to the fourth frequency band;

[0567] The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are pointed at the first frequency band;

[0568] The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are pointed at the second frequency band;

[0569] The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are directed toward the third frequency band;

[0570] The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are directed toward the fourth frequency band.

[0571] In some embodiments, the switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands, including at least one of the following:

[0572] The terminal device supports three frequency bands, and switching occurs between the three bands;

[0573] The terminal device supports four frequency bands, the network-side device is configured with three of these bands, and switching occurs between the three bands;

[0574] The terminal device supports four frequency bands, and switching occurs between the four frequency bands.

[0575] In some embodiments, the first port state is in the first frequency band, which is a state before switching, and the terminal device can send data through the first port in the first frequency band.

[0576] In some embodiments, the second port is in a pre-stored state in the second frequency band, which is a state before switching, and the terminal device does not send data through the second port.

[0577] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 11 is further configured to send indication information to the terminal device, wherein the indication information is used to indicate the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching.

[0578] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 11 is further configured to perform at least one of the following:

[0579] Sending semi-static signaling to terminal equipment;

[0580] Send MAC CE to the terminal device;

[0581] Send DCI to the terminal device.

[0582] Regarding the communication device 1 in the above embodiment, the specific manner in which each module performs operations has been described in detail in the embodiment of the method, and will not be elaborated here.

[0583] The communication device 1 provided in the above embodiment of the present disclosure achieves the same or similar beneficial effects as the method for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching provided in some of the above embodiments, and will not be described in detail here.

[0584] See Figure 11 , Figure 111 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device 1000 provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Communication device 1000 can be a terminal device, a network-side device, a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports the terminal device to implement the above-mentioned method, or a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports the network-side device to implement the above-mentioned method. Communication device 1000 can be used to implement the method described in the above-mentioned method embodiment. For details, please refer to the description of the above-mentioned method embodiment.

[0585] The communication device 1000 may include one or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor. For example, it may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control the communication device (e.g., network-side equipment, baseband chips, terminal equipment, terminal equipment chips, DU or CU, etc.), execute computer programs, and process computer program data.

[0586] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include one or more memories 1002, on which a computer program 1004 may be stored. The memory 1002 executes the computer program 1004 to enable the communication device 1000 to perform the method described in the above method embodiment. Optionally, the memory 1002 may also store data. The communication device 1000 and the memory 1002 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0587] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include a transceiver 1005 and an antenna 1006. The transceiver 1005 may be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, or a transceiver circuit, etc., and is configured to implement transceiver functions. The transceiver 1005 may include a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver may be referred to as a receiver or a receiving circuit, etc., and is configured to implement a receiving function; the transmitter may be referred to as a transmitter or a transmitting circuit, etc., and is configured to implement a transmitting function.

[0588] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include one or more interface circuits 1007. The interface circuit 1007 is configured to receive code instructions and transmit the code instructions to the processor 1001. The processor 1001 executes the code instructions to enable the communication device 1000 to perform the method described in the above method embodiment.

[0589] The communication device 1000 is a first terminal device: the processor 1001 is used to execute Figure 2 S21 in: Figure 4 S41 in; Figure 6 S61 in; Figure 8 S81 in; Figure 9 S93 in; transceiver 1005 is used to perform Figure 6 S62 in; Figure 8 S82 in; Figure 9 The S92 in the.

[0590] The communication device 1000 is a network side device: the processor 1001 is used to execute Figure 3 S31 in: Figure 5 S51 in; Figure 7 S71 in; Figure 8 S83 in; Figure 9 S91 in; transceiver 1005 is used to perform Figure 7 S72 in; Figure 8 S82 in; Figure 9 The S92 in the.

[0591] In one implementation, processor 1001 may include a transceiver for implementing receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit, an interface, or an interface circuit. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit for implementing the receiving and transmitting functions may be separate or integrated. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit may be used for reading and writing code / data, or may be used for transmitting or delivering signals.

[0592] In one implementation, processor 1001 may store a computer program 1003. Computer program 1003, when executed on processor 1001, enables communication device 1000 to perform the method described in the above method embodiment. Computer program 1003 may be embedded in processor 1001, in which case processor 1001 may be implemented by hardware.

[0593] In one implementation, the communication device 1000 may include a circuit that can implement the functions of sending, receiving, or communicating in the aforementioned method embodiments. The processor and transceiver described in the present disclosure can be implemented on an integrated circuit (IC), an analog IC, a radio frequency integrated circuit RFIC, a mixed signal IC, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a printed circuit board (PCB), an electronic device, etc. The processor and transceiver can also be manufactured using various IC process technologies, such as complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), N-type metal oxide semiconductor (nMetal-oxide-semiconductor, NMOS), P-type metal oxide semiconductor (positive channel metal oxide semiconductor, PMOS), bipolar junction transistor (bipolar junction transistor, BJT), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), etc.

[0594] The communication device described in the above embodiments may be a terminal device or a network side device, but the scope of the communication device described in this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device may not be limited thereto. Figure 11 The communication device may be an independent device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be:

[0595] (1) An independent integrated circuit (IC), or chip, or chip system or subsystem;

[0596] (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally including a storage component for storing data and computer programs;

[0597] (3) ASIC, such as modem;

[0598] (4) Modules that can be embedded in other devices;

[0599] (5) Receivers, terminal devices, intelligent terminal devices, cellular phones, wireless devices, handheld devices, mobile units, vehicle-mounted devices, network devices, cloud devices, artificial intelligence devices, etc.;

[0600] (6)Others, etc.

[0601] For cases where the communication device may be a chip or a chip system, see Figure 12 , is a structural diagram of a chip provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0602] The chip 1100 includes a processor 1101 and an interface 1103. There may be one or more processors 1101, and there may be more than one interface 1103.

[0603] For the case where the chip is used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the embodiments of the present disclosure:

[0604] The interface 1103 is used to receive code instructions and transmit them to the processor.

[0605] The processor 1101 is configured to run code instructions to execute the method for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching as described in some of the above embodiments.

[0606] For the case where the chip is used to implement the functions of the network-side device in the embodiments of the present disclosure:

[0607] The interface 1103 is used to receive code instructions and transmit them to the processor.

[0608] The processor 1101 is configured to run code instructions to execute the method for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching as described in some of the above embodiments.

[0609] Optionally, the chip 1100 further includes a memory 1102 , which is used to store necessary computer programs and data.

[0610] Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps listed in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. Whether such functionality is implemented by hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design requirements of the entire system. Those skilled in the art may use various methods to implement the described functionality for each specific application, but such implementation should not be construed as exceeding the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0611] The embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a system for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching, which includes the aforementioned Figure 10 In the embodiment, the communication device as the terminal device and the communication device as the network side device, or the system includes the aforementioned Figure 10 The communication device in the embodiment serves as a terminal device and the communication device serves as a network side device.

[0612] The present disclosure also provides a readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which implement the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0613] The present disclosure also provides a computer program product, which implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0614] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs. When the computer program is loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present disclosure are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer program can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a high-density digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0615] Those skilled in the art will understand that the various numerical numbers such as first and second involved in the present disclosure are only for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and also indicate the order of precedence.

[0616] The at least one in the present disclosure can also be described as one or more, and the multiple can be two, three, four or more, which is not limited in the present disclosure. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, for a technical feature, the technical features in the technical feature are distinguished by "first", "second", "third", "A", "B", "C" and "D", and there is no order of precedence or size between the technical features described by "first", "second", "third", "A", "B", "C" and "D".

[0617] The correspondences shown in the tables of the present disclosure can be configured or predefined. The values ​​of the information in each table are merely examples and can be configured to other values, which are not limited by the present disclosure. When configuring the correspondences between information and parameters, it is not necessarily required to configure all the correspondences shown in each table. For example, in the tables of the present disclosure, the correspondences shown in certain rows may not be configured. For another example, appropriate deformation adjustments can be made based on the above tables, such as splitting, merging, etc. The names of the parameters shown in the titles of the above tables may also adopt other names that can be understood by the communication device, and the values ​​or representations of the parameters may also adopt other values ​​or representations that can be understood by the communication device. When implementing the above tables, other data structures may also be used, such as arrays, queues, containers, stacks, linear lists, pointers, linked lists, trees, graphs, structures, classes, heaps, hash tables or hash tables, etc.

[0618] The predefined in the present disclosure may be understood as defined, predefined, stored, pre-stored, pre-negotiated, pre-configured, solidified, or pre-burned.

[0619] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professionals and technicians can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this disclosure.

[0620] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0621] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, but the scope of protection of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this disclosure should be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present disclosure should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching, characterized in that: The method is executed by a terminal device and includes: In response to satisfying a specific condition, determining a preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, wherein the preparation time includes a first time for preparation and / or a second time for antenna switching; the specific condition being that a switching mode for performing uplink antenna switching by the terminal device involves two or more frequency bands; The switching mode includes at least one of the following: The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of two single ports and the uplink frequency bands of another two single ports; The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of the two single ports and the uplink frequency band of another single port; The terminal device switches between two single-port uplink frequency bands and another dual-port uplink frequency band; The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of the two single ports and the uplink frequency band of one of the single ports; The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of the two single ports and the uplink frequency band of one of the dual ports; Before the switching, the first port of the terminal device is in the first frequency band, and the second port is in the pre-stored state of the second frequency band. After the switching, at least one port is in the third frequency band.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The method further comprises: Report the preparation time to the network side device.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The reporting of the preparation time to the network side device includes: reporting capability information to the network-side device, wherein the capability information includes the preparation time; or A first signaling is sent to the network side device, wherein the first signaling includes the preparation time.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein The sending of the first signaling to the network side device includes at least one of the following: Sending the first signaling to the network side device through a physical uplink shared channel PUSCH; Sending the first signaling to the network side device through a physical uplink control channel PUCCH; Send uplink control information UCI to the network side device.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein The preparation time includes at least one of the following: The time required for the terminal device to refresh the memory unit; The time required for the terminal device to load the memory unit; The time when the terminal device interrupts all current transmissions; The time at which the network side device stops scheduling the terminal device.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein The method further comprises: Stop uplink transmission during the preparation time; and / or Stop receiving downlink transmission from the network side device within the preparation time.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the specific condition further comprises: The uplink antenna switching of the terminal device occurs between different switching schemes.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein The terminal device is provided with at least a first antenna and a second antenna; the switching scheme includes at least one of the following: The first antenna of the terminal device points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the second frequency band; The first antenna of the terminal device points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the third frequency band; The first antenna of the terminal device points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the fourth frequency band; The first antenna of the terminal device points to the second frequency band, and the second antenna points to the third frequency band; The first antenna of the terminal device points to the second frequency band, and the second antenna points to the fourth frequency band; The first antenna of the terminal device points to the third frequency band, and the second antenna points to the fourth frequency band; The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are pointed to the first frequency band; The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are pointed to the second frequency band; The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are pointed to the third frequency band; The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are directed toward the fourth frequency band.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein The switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands, including at least one of the following: The terminal device supports three frequency bands, and switching occurs between the three frequency bands; The terminal device supports four frequency bands, the network side device is configured with three of the frequency bands, and switching occurs between the three frequency bands; The terminal device supports four frequency bands, and switching occurs between the four frequency bands.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that The first port state is in the first frequency band, which is a state before switching. The terminal device can send data through the first port in the first frequency band.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that The second port is in a pre-stored state in the second frequency band, which is a state before switching, and the terminal device does not send data through the second port.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein The determining of the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching includes: Receiving indication information sent by a network-side device, wherein the indication information is used to indicate the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching; The preparation time is determined according to the instruction information.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The receiving instruction information sent by the network side device includes at least one of the following: Receive semi-static signaling sent by network-side equipment; Receive the media access control element MAC CE sent by the network side device; Receive downlink control information DCI sent by the network side device.

14. A method for determining the preparation time for uplink antenna switching, characterized in that: The method is executed by a network-side device and includes: In response to satisfying a specific condition, determining a preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, wherein the preparation time includes a first time for preparation and / or a second time for antenna switching; the specific condition is that a switching mode for performing uplink antenna switching by the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands; The switching mode includes at least one of the following: The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of two single ports and the uplink frequency bands of another two single ports; The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of the two single ports and the uplink frequency band of another single port; The terminal device switches between two single-port uplink frequency bands and another dual-port uplink frequency band; The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of the two single ports and the uplink frequency band of one of the single ports; The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of the two single ports and the uplink frequency band of one of the dual ports; Before the switching, the first port of the terminal device is in the first frequency band, and the second port is in the pre-stored state of the second frequency band. After the switching, at least one port is in the third frequency band.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The method further comprises: Receive the preparation time reported by the terminal device.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein The receiving the preparation time reported by the terminal device includes: receiving capability information reported by the terminal device, wherein the capability information includes the preparation time; or Receive first signaling sent by the terminal device, wherein the first signaling includes the preparation time.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein The receiving the first signaling sent by the terminal device includes at least one of the following: Receiving the first signaling sent by the terminal device through the PUSCH; Receiving the first signaling sent by the terminal device through the PUCCH; Receive UCI sent by the terminal device.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein The preparation time includes at least one of the following: The time required for the terminal device to refresh the memory unit; The time required for the terminal device to load the memory unit; The time when the terminal device interrupts all current transmissions; The time at which the network side device stops scheduling the terminal device.

19. The method according to claim 14, wherein The method further comprises: Stop receiving uplink transmission of the terminal device during the preparation time; and / or Stop downlink transmission during the preparation time.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein: The specific conditions also include: The uplink antenna switching of the terminal device occurs between different switching schemes.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein The terminal device is provided with at least a first antenna and a second antenna; the switching scheme includes at least one of the following: The first antenna of the terminal device points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the second frequency band; The first antenna of the terminal device points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the third frequency band; The first antenna of the terminal device points to the first frequency band, and the second antenna points to the fourth frequency band; The first antenna of the terminal device points to the second frequency band, and the second antenna points to the third frequency band; The first antenna of the terminal device points to the second frequency band, and the second antenna points to the fourth frequency band; The first antenna of the terminal device points to the third frequency band, and the second antenna points to the fourth frequency band; The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are pointed to the first frequency band; The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are pointed to the second frequency band; The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are pointed to the third frequency band; The first antenna and the second antenna of the terminal device are directed toward the fourth frequency band.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein: The switching mode of the terminal device involves more than two frequency bands, including at least one of the following: The terminal device supports three frequency bands, and switching occurs between the three frequency bands; The terminal device supports four frequency bands, the network side device is configured with three of the frequency bands, and switching occurs between the three frequency bands; The terminal device supports four frequency bands, and switching occurs between the four frequency bands.

23. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 22, characterized in that The first port state is in the first frequency band, which is a state before switching. The terminal device can send data through the first port in the first frequency band.

24. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 22, characterized in that The second port is in a pre-stored state in the second frequency band, which is a state before switching, and the terminal device does not send data through the second port.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein: The method further comprises: Send indication information to the terminal device, wherein the indication information is used to indicate the preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein: The sending of instruction information to the terminal device includes at least one of the following: Sending semi-static signaling to the terminal device; Sending a MAC CE to the terminal device; Send DCI to the terminal device.

27. A terminal device, characterized in that: The terminal device includes: a processing module configured to, in response to satisfying a specific condition, determine a preparation time required for the terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, wherein the preparation time includes a first time for preparation and / or a second time for antenna switching; and the specific condition is that a switching mode for performing uplink antenna switching by the terminal device involves two or more frequency bands; The switching mode includes at least one of the following: The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of two single ports and the uplink frequency bands of another two single ports; The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of the two single ports and the uplink frequency band of another single port; The terminal device switches between two single-port uplink frequency bands and another dual-port uplink frequency band; The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of the two single ports and the uplink frequency band of one of the single ports; The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of the two single ports and the uplink frequency band of one of the dual ports; Before the switching, the first port of the terminal device is in the first frequency band, and the second port is in the pre-stored state of the second frequency band. After the switching, at least one port is in the third frequency band.

28. A network side device, characterized in that: The network side equipment includes: a processing module configured to, in response to satisfying a specific condition, determine a preparation time required for a terminal device to perform uplink antenna switching, wherein the preparation time includes a first time for preparation and / or a second time for antenna switching; and the specific condition is that a switching mode for performing uplink antenna switching by the terminal device involves two or more frequency bands; The switching mode includes at least one of the following: The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of two single ports and the uplink frequency bands of another two single ports; The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of the two single ports and the uplink frequency band of another single port; The terminal device switches between two single-port uplink frequency bands and another dual-port uplink frequency band; The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of the two single ports and the uplink frequency band of one of the single ports; The terminal device switches between the uplink frequency bands of the two single ports and the uplink frequency band of one of the dual ports; Before the switching, the first port of the terminal device is in the first frequency band, and the second port is in the pre-stored state of the second frequency band. After the switching, at least one port is in the third frequency band.

29. A communication device, characterized in that: The device includes a processor and a memory, wherein a computer program is stored in the memory, and the processor executes the computer program stored in the memory so that the device performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, or the processor executes the computer program stored in the memory so that the device performs the method according to any one of claims 14 to 26.

30. A communication device, characterized in that: include: processor and interface circuits; The interface circuit is used to receive code instructions and transmit them to the processor; The processor is configured to execute the code instructions to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, or is configured to execute the code instructions to perform the method according to any one of claims 14 to 26.

31. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, which, when executed, enable the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 to be implemented, or, when executed, enable the method according to any one of claims 14 to 26 to be implemented.

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