Communication method and device and computer readable storage medium

Abstract

The invention discloses a communication method and device and a computer readable storage medium, relates to the technical field of communication, and can achieve the purposes of improving service continuity and reducing data transmission time delay in the moving process of terminal equipment. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring signal quality information of each access point in an access point cluster, wherein the access point cluster comprises at least two access points; determining the access point of which the signal quality information meets a first preset requirement from the access point cluster as a first access point; a random access procedure is initiated through the first access point to access the access point cluster.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, device and computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Since cellular networks have the characteristics of improving spectrum utilization and facilitating expansion, they can be used as the basic network for mobile communications. In a cellular network, each cell is independent of each other. If a terminal device moves, the terminal device needs to switch between multiple cells of the above-mentioned cellular network so that the terminal device can continuously access cells with higher signal quality, thereby ensuring the service quality of the terminal device. However, in the current cell switching process, the current service of the terminal device needs to be suspended before the switching can be completed, which will also affect the continuity of the service to a certain extent and increase the data transmission delay. Summary of the invention

[0003] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, an apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium, which can achieve the purpose of improving service continuity and reducing data transmission delay during the movement of terminal equipment.

[0004] On the one hand, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a terminal device, comprising:

[0005] Acquire signal quality information of each access point in an access point cluster, where the access point cluster includes at least two access points;

[0006] Determine, from the access point cluster, an access point whose signal quality information meets a first preset requirement as a first access point;

[0007] A random access procedure is initiated through the first access point to access the access point cluster.

[0008] On the other hand, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a base station, comprising:

[0009] A random access process is performed by a first access point in the access point cluster and a terminal device so that the terminal device accesses the access point cluster. The access point cluster includes at least two access points. The first access point is an access point in the access point cluster whose signal quality information meets a first preset requirement.

[0010] In yet another aspect, a communication device is provided, applied to a terminal device, the communication device comprising a communication unit and a determination unit;

[0011] A communication unit, configured to obtain signal quality information of each access point in an access point cluster, wherein the access point cluster includes at least two access points;

[0012] a determining unit, configured to determine, from the access point cluster, an access point whose signal quality information meets a first preset requirement as a first access point;

[0013] The determining unit is further configured to initiate a random access procedure through the first access point to access the access point cluster.

[0014] In yet another aspect, a communication device is provided, applied to a base station, the communication device comprising a communication unit and a determination unit;

[0015] The determination unit is used to instruct the communication unit to perform a random access process with the terminal device through a first access point in the access point cluster so that the terminal device accesses the access point cluster. The access point cluster includes at least two access points, and the first access point is an access point in the access point cluster whose signal quality information meets a first preset requirement.

[0016] On the other hand, a communication device is provided, comprising: a memory and a processor; the memory and the processor are coupled; the memory is used to store a computer program; and the processor implements the communication method of any of the above embodiments when executing the computer program.

[0017] On the other hand, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which computer program instructions are stored. When the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, the communication method of any of the above embodiments is implemented.

[0018] On the other hand, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product includes computer program instructions. When the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, the communication method of any of the above embodiments is implemented.

[0019] In an embodiment of the present application, a terminal device can obtain signal quality information of each access point in an access point cluster, and initiate a random access process through an access point (i.e., a first access point) in the access point cluster whose signal quality information meets a preset condition, so that the terminal device can access the access point cluster. In this way, the terminal device can directly use the data service of at least one access point in the access point cluster at any time, without having to perform a switching process between access points or frequently suspending service to complete the switching, thereby reducing the number of hard switching times of the terminal device between access points, thereby improving service continuity and reducing data transmission delay. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution in the present application, the drawings required for use in some embodiments of the present application will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only drawings of some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0021] Figure 1A schematic diagram of a cell provided in some embodiments of the present application;

[0022] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a single-layer cellular network provided for some embodiments of the present application;

[0023] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a cell switching provided in some embodiments of the present application;

[0024] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a multi-layer cellular network provided for some embodiments of the present application;

[0025] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of another cell switching provided in some embodiments of the present application;

[0026] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of carrier aggregation provided in some embodiments of the present application;

[0027] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a cell deployment provided for some embodiments of the present application;

[0028] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided in some embodiments of the present application;

[0029] Fig. 9 A flow chart of a communication method provided for some embodiments of the present application;

[0030] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of a process for determining an access cluster provided in some embodiments of the present application;

[0031] Fig.11 A flowchart of another communication method provided for some embodiments of the present application;

[0032] Fig.12 A schematic diagram of an access configuration information broadcast process provided in some embodiments of the present application;

[0033] Fig.13 A flowchart of another communication method provided for some embodiments of the present application;

[0034] Fig.14 A schematic diagram of data transmission between a terminal device and an access point provided in some embodiments of the present application;

[0035] Fig.15 A schematic diagram of another method of performing data transmission between a terminal device and an access point provided in some embodiments of the present application;

[0036] Fig.16 A flowchart of another communication method provided for some embodiments of the present application;

[0037] Fig.17 A schematic diagram of a process of activating / deactivating an access point provided in some embodiments of the present application;

[0038] Fig.18 A flowchart of another communication method provided for some embodiments of the present application;

[0039] Fig.19 A flowchart of another communication method provided for some embodiments of the present application;

[0040] Fig. 20 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in some embodiments of the present application;

[0041] Fig.21 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided for some embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The following will be combined with the drawings in this application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in this application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0043] It should be noted that, in this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a specific way.

[0044] In the following, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features.

[0045] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means "or", for example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this article is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more.

[0046] The following explains the terms involved in the embodiments of the present application to facilitate the reader's understanding.

[0047] 1. Community

[0048] In order to manage a continuous carrier, a logical concept is established, which is called a cell. However, a cell can correspond not only to a continuous carrier, but also to a series of hardware resources (for example, antenna feed (also called antenna system), remote radio unit (RRU), baseband unit (BBU), control system, and baseband system, etc.) to complete various protocol stack functions. In this way, Figure 1 As shown, a cell can manage a fixed-size and continuous carrier (eg, 700 megabits (M)) and implement related access network protocol stack functions to cover an area, thereby providing data services to terminal devices in the area.

[0049] It should be noted that in order to constrain the complexity of software and hardware implementation, relevant communication protocols (for example, the 4th generation mobile communication technology (4G) protocol and the 5th generation mobile communication technology (5G) protocol) have restricted the carrier bandwidth range corresponding to the cell. For example, the 4G protocol sets the maximum carrier bandwidth corresponding to the cell to 20M (i.e., 1024-point fast Fourier transform (FFT)), and sets the minimum carrier bandwidth corresponding to the cell to 1.4M. For another example, in the 5G network, although different subcarrier spacings (SCS) correspond to different maximum carrier bandwidths, the maximum number of FFT points corresponding to each cell is 4096. This constraint on the maximum number of FFT points for each cell avoids the problem of increased hardware costs due to the maximum number of FFT points exceeding expectations.

[0050] 2. Cellular Network

[0051] A cellular network is a network that divides a service area into multiple adjacent cellular cells (i.e., cells with a roughly hexagonal coverage area), and uses frequency reuse technology so that some or all of the cellular cells share a frequency point. Since cellular networks have the characteristics of improving spectrum utilization and facilitating expansion, they have long been used as the basic network for mobile communications.

[0052] The cellular network may include a single-layer cellular network and a multi-layer cellular network. The single-layer cellular network and the multi-layer cellular network are described below:

[0053] A single-layer cellular network refers to multiple cellular adjacent cells corresponding to one frequency point, and each cellular cell is relatively independent and has obvious boundaries to facilitate subsequent spatial reuse. Figure 2 As shown, there are multiple cellular adjacent cells corresponding to the 700M frequency point (ie, the cellular network corresponding to the 700M frequency point).

[0054] In the above single-layer cellular network, if a terminal device wants to move from one cell to another cell in the above single-layer cellular network, the terminal device needs to temporarily suspend the current service, perform the switching process, and resume the normal operation of the above current service after the switching is completed. Figure 3 As shown, the terminal device can move from one cell to another in the cellular network corresponding to the 700M frequency.

[0055] A multi-layer cellular network refers to a plurality of cellular adjacent cells corresponding to each frequency point among a plurality of frequency points, so that the plurality of cellular adjacent cells corresponding to each frequency point are spatially extended into a cellular network. Figure 4 As shown, the multi-layer cellular network includes: multiple cellular adjacent cells corresponding to the 700M frequency (ie, the cellular network corresponding to the 700M frequency), and multiple cellular adjacent cells corresponding to the 2.6G frequency (ie, the cellular network corresponding to the 2.6G frequency).

[0056] In the above single-layer cellular network, if a terminal device wants to move from one cell to another cell in the above multi-layer cellular network, the terminal device needs to temporarily suspend the current service, perform the switching process, and resume the normal operation of the above current service after the switching is completed. Figure 5 As shown, the terminal device can move from a cell in the cellular network corresponding to the 700M frequency to a cell in the cellular network corresponding to the 2.6G frequency.

[0057] It should be noted that, since different terminal devices need to transmit data based on different frequency domain resources in actual communication networks, the above-mentioned multi-layer cellular network is more practical in actual communication networks.

[0058] 3. Carrier aggregation (CA) technology

[0059] CA means that the access network equipment aggregates multiple carriers (component carrier, CC) so that the aggregated carriers can jointly provide services for the terminal equipment, which can significantly improve the throughput of the terminal equipment. Among them, the carrier that is connected to the terminal equipment for radio resource control (RRC) is the primary carrier (primary component carrier, PCC), which can also be called the primary cell (primary cell, Pcell). The carriers other than the primary carrier in the above multiple carriers are secondary carriers (secondary component carrier, SCC), which can also be called secondary cells (secondary cell, Scell). For example, Figure 6 As shown, the cellular network corresponding to the 700M frequency point may be PCC, and the cellular network corresponding to the 2.6G frequency point may be SCC.

[0060] It should be noted that the original new radio (NR) protocol stipulates that access network equipment can aggregate up to 16 CCs. Among them, the bandwidth corresponding to each CC can be different, and the maximum frequency range corresponding to each CC can be different. For example, the maximum frequency range corresponding to CC1 is 100M, and the maximum frequency range corresponding to CC2 is 400M. The spectrum corresponding to each CC can be continuous or discrete.

[0061] It should be noted that after the terminal device accesses the cell in the PCC, the cell can send the configuration information of the cell in the SCC to the terminal device through RRC signaling, so that the terminal device can identify the cell in the SCC and obtain the data service of the cell in the SCC.

[0062] For example, the following is an example of RRC signaling. RRC signaling may include information such as a physical cell identifier (PCI), a downlink configuration (Downlink Config Common), an uplink configuration (Uplink Config Common), and an access center frequency, so that the terminal device can identify the cell in the SCC based on the information in the above RRC signaling. For a specific description of the above RRC signaling, please refer to the description in the relevant protocol, which will not be repeated here.

[0063]

[0064]

[0065] Exemplarily, the following Table 1 is an example of frequency information (frequency info DL) included in RRC signaling. The above frequency information may be located in the downlink configuration common field description (Downlink Config Common field descriptions). The above downlink configuration common field description may also include other information (for example, initial downlink partial bandwidth (Initial Downlink BWP)), and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0066] Table 1

[0067]

[0068] The above is a brief introduction to some concepts involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0069] Since cellular networks have the characteristics of improving spectrum utilization and facilitating expansion, cellular networks can be used as the basic network for mobile communications. In a cellular network (e.g., a single-layer cellular network or a multi-layer cellular network), Figure 7 As shown in (a), each cell is deployed independently. In view of this, if the terminal device moves, the terminal device needs to switch between multiple cells of the above-mentioned cellular network so that the terminal device can continuously access cells with higher signal quality, thereby ensuring the service quality of the terminal device. However, in the current cell switching process, the current service of the terminal device needs to be suspended before the switching is completed. In this way, the current cell switching technology can only ensure that the terminal device will not have poor service quality during the movement (for example, the service quality is reduced to the minimum value due to dropped calls), but it will still affect the continuity of the service to a certain extent and increase the data transmission delay.

[0070] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can combine at least two access points into an access point cluster, that is, Figure 7 As shown in (b) of FIG. 1 , the terminal device regards the at least two access points as a whole (i.e., an access point cluster). One access point may correspond to one cell. The terminal device may initiate a random access process through an access point (i.e., the first access point) in the access point cluster whose signal quality information meets a preset condition, so that the terminal device may access the access point cluster. In this way, Figure 7 As shown in (c), the terminal device can directly use the data service of at least one access point in the above access point cluster at any time, without the need to perform a switching process between the access points, and without the need to frequently suspend the service to complete the switching, thereby reducing the number of hard switching times of the terminal device between the access points, thereby improving business continuity and reducing data transmission delays.

[0071] The technical solution provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example, a new radio (NR) communication system using the fifth generation mobile communication technology (5G), a future evolution system, or a multi-communication fusion system.

[0072] For example, Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. The communication system may include at least one terminal device 801 and at least one base station 802. Figure 8 Only two terminal devices 801 and one base station 802 are shown.

[0073] The terminal device 801 is used to obtain signal quality information of each access point in the access point cluster, determine an access point whose signal quality information meets a first preset requirement from the access point cluster as a first access point, and initiate a random access process through the first access point to access the access point cluster.

[0074] The base station 802 is configured to perform a random access procedure with a terminal device through a first access point in the access point cluster, so that the terminal device accesses the access point cluster.

[0075] The access point cluster includes at least two access points.

[0076] In some examples, base station 802 can be used to manage access point clusters, so that base station 802 can also transmit data for terminal devices through at least one access point in the access point cluster, activate / deactivate access points in the access point cluster, and control the data transmission path between the core network and the terminal device.

[0077] In one implementation, the terminal device 801 is located within the coverage of the base station 802 and is connected to the base station 802. The terminal device 801 may be a terminal (terminal equipment) or a user equipment (user equipment, UE) or a mobile station (mobile station, MS) or a mobile terminal (mobile terminal, MT), etc. Specifically, the terminal device 801 may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer or a computer with a wireless transceiver function, or a virtual reality (virtual reality, VR) terminal, an augmented reality (augmented reality, AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in unmanned driving, a wireless terminal in telemedicine, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a smart home, a vehicle-mounted terminal, etc. In the embodiment of the present application, the device for realizing the function of the terminal device 801 may be the terminal device 801, or may be a device capable of supporting the terminal device 801 to realize the function, such as a chip system.

[0078] In one implementation, the base station 802 is mainly used to implement functions such as resource scheduling, wireless resource management, and wireless access control of the terminal device 801. Specifically, the base station 802 can be any node among a small base station, a wireless access point, a transmission receive point (TRP), a transmission point (TP), and some other access nodes.

[0079] It should be noted that Figure 8 This is just an exemplary framework diagram. Figure 8 The number of devices included in the Figure 8 In addition to the functional devices shown, the communication system may also include other devices, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0080] The application scenarios of the embodiments of the present application are not limited. The system architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. It is known to those skilled in the art that with the evolution of the network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0081] Fig. 9 A flowchart of an energy saving method provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Fig. 9 As shown, the method may include:

[0082] S901. The terminal device obtains signal quality information of each access point in an access point cluster.

[0083] The access point cluster includes at least two access points.

[0084] As an implementation manner, the implementation process of the above S901 may be: each access point sends a reference signal to the terminal device. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the reference signal from each access point and measures the reference signal to obtain signal quality information of each access point.

[0085] In some embodiments, the frequency points corresponding to the access points in the access point cluster belong to a preset frequency point set, and the distance between the access points in the access point cluster is less than or equal to a distance threshold.

[0086] In combination with the above embodiments, the implementation process of the base station determining each access point in the access point cluster can be: the base station can arbitrarily determine an access point from multiple access points, and obtain the frequency of the remote radio unit (RRU) and / or active antenna unit (AAU) to which the access point belongs and the location of the base station to which the access network belongs from the network management device side, so that the base station can determine each access point in the access network based on the frequency dimension and the location dimension. The base station can determine the frequency of the RRU and / or AAU to which the access point belongs as the preset frequency, and determine the preset range based on the location of the above base station. The base station can determine the access point with the preset frequency from the above preset range as the access point in the access network cluster.

[0087] For example, Fig.10 As shown, the frequency points (i.e., preset frequency points) of the RRU and / or AAU to which the access point 1 belongs are 800M and 900M. The base station determines the preset range based on the location of the access point 1, and determines the access points with a frequency point of 800M or 900M within the preset range as the access points in the access network cluster (e.g., access point 1, access point 2, access point 3, and access point 4).

[0088] In some embodiments, the signal quality information includes transmitted signal strength and received signal strength.

[0089] As an example, the above-mentioned received signal strength may include at least one of the following: reference signal receiving power (reference signal receiving power, RSRP), received signal strength indicator (received signal strength indicator, RSSI), and reference signal received quality (reference signal received quality, RSRQ).

[0090] It should be noted that the signal quality information may also include other information (eg, delay, power, etc.), and this application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0091] S902: The terminal device determines, from the access point cluster, an access point whose signal quality information meets a first preset requirement as a first access point.

[0092] In some embodiments, if the signal quality information includes the transmitted signal strength and the received signal strength, the first preset requirement may include that the difference between the transmitted signal strength and the received signal strength is less than or equal to a preset threshold.

[0093] In other embodiments, if the above-mentioned signal quality information includes transmitted signal strength, received signal strength, and delay, the first preset requirement may include that the difference between the transmitted signal strength and the received signal strength is less than or equal to a preset threshold, and the delay is less than or equal to the delay threshold.

[0094] S903: The terminal device initiates a random access process through the first access point. Correspondingly, the base station performs a random access process with the terminal device through the first access point, so that the terminal device accesses the access point cluster.

[0095] As an implementation method, the implementation process of the above S903 may be: the terminal device may send access request information to the base station through the first access point. After the base station confirms that the terminal device can access the access cluster, the base station may send a downlink access indication to the terminal device through the first access point to inform the terminal device to access the access point cluster.

[0096] As an example, the random access procedure may be a random access procedure based on an uplink-packet random access channel (UL-PRACH). The random access procedure based on the uplink-packet random access channel may include at least one of the following: a contention random access procedure and a non-contention random access procedure.

[0097] In an embodiment of the present application, a terminal device can obtain signal quality information of each access point in an access point cluster, and initiate a random access process through an access point (i.e., a first access point) in the access point cluster whose signal quality information meets a preset condition, so that the terminal device can access the access point cluster. In this way, the terminal device can directly use the data service of at least one access point in the access point cluster at any time, without having to perform a switching process between access points or frequently suspending service to complete the switching, thereby reducing the number of hard switching times of the terminal device between access points, thereby improving service continuity and reducing data transmission delay.

[0098] Combination Fig. 9 ,like Fig.11 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, the method comprising the following steps:

[0099] S1101: A base station sends access configuration information of an access point cluster through at least one access point in the access point cluster. Correspondingly, a terminal device receives the access configuration information of the access point cluster.

[0100] As an implementation manner, the implementation process of the above S1101 may be: the base station may arbitrarily select at least one access point from the access point cluster as a broadcast access point, and send access configuration information of the access point cluster based on the broadcast access point.

[0101] In some embodiments, the base station may determine different access points as broadcast access points in different time periods. Fig.12 As shown, the base station can use access point 1 as a broadcast access point in time period 1, use access point 2 as a broadcast access point in time period 2, use access point 3 as a broadcast access point in time period 3, and use access point 4 as a broadcast access point in time period 4. In this way, in the total time period consisting of time period 1, time period 2, time period 3, and time period 4, access point 1, access point 2, access point 3, and access point 4 send access configuration information of the access point cluster in turn.

[0102] As another implementation manner, the implementation process of the above S1101 may be: the base station may determine each access point in the access point cluster as a broadcast access point, and send access configuration information of the access point cluster based on each broadcast access point.

[0103] In one embodiment, the access configuration information of the access point cluster includes common configuration parameters of the access point cluster and specific configuration parameters of each access point in the access point cluster. The specific configuration parameters of the access point include at least one of a random access channel identifier, a frequency, a bandwidth, and a random access preamble code corresponding to the access point.

[0104] It can be understood that in the current switching process, the base station independently stores the access configuration information of each access point. For example, as shown in Table 2 below, the access configuration information of multiple cells may include: the access configuration information of access point 1 and the access configuration information of access point 2. In the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the base station may use the same configuration parameters between the various access points as the common configuration parameters of the access point cluster, and use the different configuration parameters between the various access points as the exclusive configuration parameters of the access point. For example, as shown in Table 3 below, the access configuration information of access point cluster 1 may include: the same configuration parameters between access point 1 and access point 2, and the different configuration parameters between access point 1 and access point 2. Among them, the different configuration parameters between access point 1 and access point 2 can be stored separately and independently.

[0105] Table 2

[0106]

[0107] Table 3

[0108]

[0109] S1102: The terminal device initiates a random access process through the first access point based on the access configuration information.

[0110] In some embodiments, the implementation process of S1102 may be: the terminal device initiates a random access procedure through the first access point based on the public configuration parameters of the access point cluster and the exclusive configuration parameters of the first access point.

[0111] That is, the terminal device can initiate a random access process through the first access point based on the complete access configuration information of the first access point. The complete access configuration information includes the same configuration parameters between the first access point and other access points in the access point cluster (i.e., the common configuration parameters of the access point cluster), and the different configuration parameters between the first access point and other access points in the access point cluster (i.e., the exclusive configuration parameters of the access point cluster).

[0112] In an embodiment of the present application, a terminal device can receive access configuration information of an access point cluster and perform a random access process based on the access configuration information. This provides a specific implementation method for the terminal device to initiate a random access process through a first access point, so that the terminal device and the access point cluster can establish a connection normally.

[0113] Combination Fig. 9 ,like Fig.13 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, the method comprising the following steps:

[0114] S1301: A base station sends first indication information to a terminal device through an activated access point in an access point cluster. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first indication information sent by the activated access point.

[0115] The first indication information is used to instruct at least one second access point in the access point cluster to provide a data service.

[0116] As an implementation manner, before S1301, the implementation process of the base station determining at least one second access point may be: the base station may obtain the current location of the terminal device, and select the first N access points closest to the terminal device from the access point cluster as candidate access points based on the location of the terminal device, where N is a positive integer. The base station obtains the current signal quality information of each of the N candidate access points, and determines the access point whose current signal quality information meets the data service requirement among the N candidate access points as the second access point. The second access point may be one or more.

[0117] In some embodiments, the terminal device can autonomously select at least one second access point based on its own location information and the location and current signal quality information of each access point in the access point cluster, and send a data service request message to the base station through the activated access point. The data service request message is used to request at least one second access point to provide data services for the terminal device.

[0118] In some embodiments, the first indication information may include an up link-packet random access channel (PRACH) identity document (ID) corresponding to each of the at least one second access point.

[0119] Exemplarily, if both access network 1 and access point 2 are second access points, the prach ID corresponding to access point 1 may be in the range of 0-10, and the prach ID corresponding to access point 2 may be in the range of 11-20.

[0120] It should be noted that the at least one second access point may include the first access point.

[0121] As an example, the first indication information may be in downlink control information. Fig.14 As shown, the base station sends downlink indication information to the terminal device through access point 1. The downlink indication information can be used to instruct access point 2 and access point 3 to provide data services, so that the terminal device can receive data from access point 2 and access point 3.

[0122] S1302: Based on the first indication information, the terminal device transmits data with the base station through at least one second access point.

[0123] For example, Fig.15 As shown, the first access point is access point 1 in the access point cluster. If the first indication information is used to indicate that access point 4 in the access point cluster provides data service, the terminal device can send data request information to access point 4.

[0124] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can receive relevant information (i.e., first indication information) of the access point that can provide data services sent by the activated access point in the access point cluster, and based on the first indication information, transmit data with the base station through the access point that can provide data services, so that the terminal device can freely transmit data with each second access point in at least one second access point. Even if the terminal device moves, the terminal device does not need to perform the switching process, and only needs to transmit data through the at least one second access point based on the first indication information, which reduces the number of hard switching times of the terminal device between various access points, thereby improving the continuity of the service and reducing the data transmission delay.

[0125] Combination Fig. 9 ,like Fig.16 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, the method comprising the following steps:

[0126] S1601: The base station monitors whether signal quality information of an inactivated access point in an access point cluster meets a second preset requirement.

[0127] As an implementation manner, the base station may send a signal quality measurement signal (e.g., a channel sounding reference signal (SRS)) to each inactivated access point in the access point cluster. In response to the signal quality measurement signal, the inactivated access point sends its own signal quality information to the base station, so that the base station monitors whether the signal quality information of the inactivated access point in the access point cluster meets the second preset requirement.

[0128] As an implementation method, the terminal device can collect the signal quality information broadcast by each inactivated access point and send the signal quality information sent by the above-mentioned inactivated access points to the base station, so that the base station monitors whether the signal quality information of the inactivated access points in the access point cluster meets the second preset requirement.

[0129] In some embodiments, if the signal quality information includes power, the second preset requirement may be that the power of the access point is greater than or equal to a preset power threshold. The preset power threshold may be set by the base station based on actual conditions, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0130] S1602: When the signal quality information of the third access point among the inactivated access points meets the preset requirement, the base station sends second indication information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second indication information.

[0131] The second indication information is used to indicate activation of the third access point.

[0132] In some embodiments, the second indication information may be carried in radio resource control (RRC) signaling, in media access control (MAC) control element (CE) information, or in downlink control information (DCI).

[0133] S1603. The terminal device activates the third access point based on the second indication information.

[0134] For example, Fig.17 As shown in (a) in FIG. 1 , the activated access points in the access point cluster include access point 1 and access point 3, and the unactivated access points in the access point cluster include access point 2 and access point 4. If the second indication information is used to activate access point 2, the terminal device can activate access point 2 based on the second indication information, so that access point 2 can also provide data services for the terminal device. In this case, Fig.17 As shown in (b) in FIG. 1 , the activated access points in the access point cluster include access point 1, access point 2, and access point 3, and the inactivated access point in the access point cluster is access point 4.

[0135] In an embodiment of the present application, when the signal quality information of an unactivated access point (i.e., the third access point) in the access point cluster meets the second preset requirement, the terminal device can activate the third access point based on the second indication information sent by the base station, so that the third access point can also provide data services for the terminal device, thereby expanding the range of access points providing data services for the terminal device, and further ensuring the service quality of the terminal device.

[0136] Combination Fig. 9 ,like Fig.18 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, the method comprising the following steps:

[0137] S1801: The base station monitors whether signal quality information of activated access points in an access point cluster meets preset requirements.

[0138] For understanding of S1801, please refer to the description of S1601 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0139] S1802: When the signal quality information of the fourth access point among the activated access points does not meet the preset requirement, the base station sends third indication information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the third indication information.

[0140] The third indication information is used to instruct deactivation of the fourth access point.

[0141] For understanding of S1802, please refer to the description of S1602 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0142] S1803. The terminal device deactivates the fourth access point based on the third indication information.

[0143] Exemplary, combined Fig.17 ,like Fig.17 As shown in (b) in FIG. 1 , the activated access points in the access point cluster include access point 1, access point 2, and access point 3, and the inactivated access point in the access point cluster is access point 4. If the second indication information is used to deactivate access point 2, the terminal device can deactivate access point 2 based on the third indication information, so that the terminal device does not need access point 2 to provide data services. In this case, Fig.17 As shown in (a) in FIG. 8 , the activated access points in the access point cluster include access point 1 and access point 3, and the inactivated access points in the access point cluster include access point 2 and access point 4.

[0144] In an embodiment of the present application, when the signal quality information of an activated access point (i.e., the fourth access point) in the access point cluster does not meet the second preset requirement, the terminal device can deactivate the fourth access point based on the third indication information sent by the base station. In this way, when the fourth access point can no longer provide a higher quality data service to the terminal device, the fourth access point is deactivated, thereby saving the base station's monitoring overhead on the fourth access point.

[0145] like Fig.19 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, the method comprising the following steps:

[0146] S1901. When the access point used for data transmission with the terminal device at the current moment and the access point used for data transmission with the terminal device at the historical moment do not belong to the same physical entity, the base station sends fourth indication information to the core network device.

[0147] The fourth indication information is used to indicate the switching of the data transmission path between the core network and the terminal device.

[0148] It is understandable that different access points may correspond to different physical entities. Before the base station transmits data with the terminal device through the access point, the base station may determine whether the access point currently used for data transmission with the terminal device and the access point used for data transmission with the terminal device at a historical moment belong to the same physical entity.

[0149] If the access point used for data transmission with the terminal device at the current moment and the access point used for data transmission with the terminal device at a historical moment belong to the same physical entity, the base station does not need to instruct the core network device to change the data transmission path between the terminal device and the base station can directly perform data transmission based on the original data transmission path.

[0150] If the access point used for data transmission with the terminal device at the current moment and the access point used for data transmission with the terminal device at the historical moment do not belong to the same physical entity, the base station needs to send an indication message (i.e., the fourth indication message) to the core network device to instruct the switching of the data transmission path between the core network and the terminal device in order to solve the problem of data transmission confusion.

[0151] In some examples, the physical entity may include at least one of the following: a distributed unit (DU), and an Internet protocol (IP) communication device.

[0152] As an implementation manner, after S1901, the core network device may send response information of the fourth indication message to the base station. Correspondingly, the base station may receive response information of the fourth indication message from the core network device.

[0153] In some embodiments, the fourth indication information may be carried in a path switch request sent by the base station to a core network device (e.g., access and mobility management function (AMF)). The path switch request may also be carried in a switch request signaling. The response information for changing the logical link may be carried in a path switch request acknowledgement sent by the core network device to the base station (e.g., AMF).

[0154] In an embodiment of the present application, when the access point used for data transmission with the terminal device at the current moment and the access point used for data transmission with the terminal device at the historical moment do not belong to the same physical entity, the base station sends a fourth indication information to the core network device to instruct the switching of the data transmission path between the core network and the terminal device, so that the subsequent core network can transmit data with the terminal device based on a reasonable transmission path, thereby avoiding data transmission confusion.

[0155] It is understandable that, in order to realize the above functions, the communication device includes a hardware structure and / or software module corresponding to each function. It should be easily appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in conjunction with the algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments of the present application, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of the present application.

[0156] The embodiment of the present application can divide the functional modules of the communication device according to the above method embodiment. For example, each functional module can be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional module. The above integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware or software. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. The following is an example of dividing each functional module corresponding to each function.

[0157] Fig. 20 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application, and the communication device can execute the communication method provided in the above method embodiment. Fig. 20 As shown, the communication device 200 includes: a communication unit 2001 and a determination unit 2002. The communication device 200 can be used to illustrate the structure of the terminal device and the base station in the above embodiment.

[0158] when Fig. 20 When used to illustrate the structure of the terminal device in the above embodiment:

[0159] The communication unit 2001 is used to obtain signal quality information of each access point in the access point cluster, where the access point cluster includes at least two access points;

[0160] A determining unit 2002 is configured to determine, from the access point cluster, an access point whose signal quality information meets a first preset requirement as a first access point;

[0161] The determining unit 2002 is further configured to initiate a random access procedure through the first access point to access the access point cluster.

[0162] In some embodiments, the signal quality information includes a transmitted signal strength and a received signal strength; and the first preset requirement includes that a difference between the transmitted signal strength and the received signal strength is less than or equal to a preset threshold.

[0163] In some embodiments, the communication unit 2001 is further used to receive access configuration information of the access point cluster; the determination unit 2002 is further used to initiate a random access process through the first access point based on the access configuration information.

[0164] In some embodiments, the access configuration information of the access point cluster includes common configuration parameters of the access point cluster and specific configuration parameters of each access point in the access point cluster.

[0165] In some embodiments, the public configuration parameters of the access point cluster include at least one of an access point cluster identifier, a data encryption type of the access point cluster, and a broadcast parameter.

[0166] In some embodiments, the dedicated configuration parameters of the access point include at least one of a random access channel identifier, a frequency, a bandwidth, and a random access preamble code corresponding to the access point.

[0167] In some embodiments, the determining unit 2002 is further configured to initiate a random access procedure through the first access point based on the common configuration parameters of the access point cluster and the exclusive configuration parameters of the first access point.

[0168] In some embodiments, the communication unit 2001 is further used to receive first indication information sent by an activated access point, the first indication information being used to indicate that at least one second access point in the access point cluster provides data services; the determination unit 2002 is further used to transmit data through at least one second access point based on the first indication information.

[0169] In some embodiments, the communication unit 2001 is further used to receive second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate activation of a third access point; the determination unit 2002 is further used to activate the third access point based on the second indication information, where the signal quality information of the third access point meets a second preset requirement.

[0170] In some embodiments, the communication unit 2001 is further used to receive third indication information, where the third indication information is used to indicate deactivation of a fourth access point, and the signal quality information of the fourth access point does not meet the second preset requirement; the determination unit 2002 is further used to deactivate the fourth access point based on the third indication information.

[0171] In some embodiments, the frequency points corresponding to the access points in the access point cluster belong to a preset frequency point set, and the distance between the access points in the access point cluster is less than or equal to a distance threshold.

[0172] when Fig. 20 When used to illustrate the structure of the base station in the above embodiment:

[0173] The determination unit 2002 is used to instruct the communication unit 2001 to perform a random access process with the terminal device through the first access point in the access point cluster, so that the terminal device accesses the access point cluster, the access point cluster includes at least two access points, and the first access point is an access point in the access point cluster whose signal quality information meets the first preset requirement.

[0174] In some embodiments, the communication unit 2001 is further configured to send access configuration information of the access point cluster through at least one access point in the access point cluster.

[0175] In some embodiments, the access configuration information of the access point cluster includes common configuration parameters of the access point cluster and specific configuration parameters of each access point in the access point cluster.

[0176] In some embodiments, the public configuration parameters of the access point cluster include at least one of an access point cluster identifier, a data encryption type of the access point cluster, and a broadcast parameter.

[0177] In some embodiments, the dedicated configuration parameters of the access point include at least one of a random access channel identifier, a frequency, a bandwidth, and a random access preamble code corresponding to the access point.

[0178] In some embodiments, the communication unit 2001 is also used to send a first indication message to a terminal device through an activated access point in the access point cluster, and the first indication message is used to indicate that at least one second access point and / or the first access point in the access point cluster provides data services; the communication unit 2001 is also used to transmit data with the terminal device through at least one second access point and / or the first access point.

[0179] In some embodiments, the determination unit 2002 is further used to monitor whether the signal quality information of the unactivated access point in the access point cluster meets the second preset requirement; when the signal quality information of the third access point in the unactivated access point meets the second preset requirement, the communication unit 2001 is further used to send second indication information to the terminal device, and the second indication information is used to indicate the activation of the third access point.

[0180] In some embodiments, the determination unit 2002 is further used to monitor whether the signal quality information of the activated access points in the access point cluster meets the second preset requirement; when the signal quality information of the fourth access point in the activated access points does not meet the second preset requirement, the communication unit 2001 is further used to send third indication information to the terminal device, and the third indication information is used to indicate deactivation of the fourth access point.

[0181] In some embodiments, the frequency points corresponding to the access points in the access point cluster belong to a preset frequency point set, and the distance between the access points in the access point cluster is less than or equal to a distance threshold.

[0182] In some embodiments, the determining unit 2002 is further configured to determine whether the physical entity to which any access point belongs is a preset physical entity;

[0183] When the physical entity to which any access point belongs is not the preset physical entity, the communication unit 2001 is further used to send a fourth indication message to the core network device; the fourth indication message is used to request the core network device to transmit data to any access point based on the logical link of the preset physical entity.

[0184] When implementing it specifically, Figure 8 The equipment in Fig.21 The structure shown, or including Fig.21 Parts shown. Fig.21 FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a communication device 210 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig.21 As shown, the communication device 210 may include a processor 2101, a communication line 2102, a communication interface 2103, and a memory 2104. The processor 2101, the memory 2104, and the communication interface 2103 may be connected via the communication line 2102.

[0185] The processor 2101 is a CPU, a general processor, a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device (PLD), or any combination thereof. The processor 2101 may also be other devices with processing functions, such as circuits, devices, or software modules, without limitation.

[0186] The communication line 2102 is used to transmit information between the components included in the communication device 210.

[0187] The communication interface 2103 is used to communicate with other devices or other communication networks. The other communication networks may be Ethernet, radio access network (RAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), etc. The communication interface 2103 may be a module, a circuit, a communication interface or any device capable of achieving communication.

[0188] The memory 2104 is used to store instructions, where the instructions may be computer programs.

[0189] Among them, the memory 2104 can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and / or instructions, or a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and / or instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage devices, etc., without limitation.

[0190] It should be noted that the memory 2104 can exist independently of the processor 2101, or can be integrated with the processor 2101. The memory 2104 can be used to store instructions or program codes or some data, etc. The memory 2104 can be located in the communication device 210, or can be located outside the communication device 210, without limitation. The processor 2101 is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 2104 to implement the energy saving method provided in the following embodiments of the present application.

[0191] In one example, the processor 2101 may include one or more CPUs, for example, CPU0 and CPU1.

[0192] As an implementation, the communication device 210 includes multiple processors.

[0193] As an implementation, the communication device 210 further includes an output device and an input device. For example, the input device is a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a joystick, and the like, and the output device is a display screen, a speaker, and the like.

[0194] It should be noted that the communication device 210 can be a desktop computer, a portable computer, a network server, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wireless terminal, an embedded device, a chip system or a Fig.21 In addition, Fig.21 The composition shown in the Figure 1 as well as Fig.21 The limitations of each device in Fig.21 In addition to the parts shown, Fig. 20 as well as Fig.21 The various devices shown may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or arrange the components differently.

[0195] In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices. Some embodiments of the present application provide a computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium), in which computer program instructions are stored. When the computer program instructions are executed on a computer, the computer executes an energy-saving method as in any of the above embodiments.

[0196] Exemplarily, the above-mentioned computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks or magnetic tapes, etc.), optical disks (e.g., compact disks (CD), digital versatile disks (DVD), etc.), smart cards and flash memory devices (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), cards, sticks or key drives, etc.). The various computer-readable storage media described in this application may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable storage media for storing information. The term "machine-readable storage medium" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing and / or carrying instructions and / or data.

[0197] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product including instructions. When the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer is enabled to execute the energy saving method described in any of the above embodiments.

[0198] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a terminal device, the method comprises: Acquire signal quality information of each access point in an access point cluster, wherein the access point cluster includes at least two access points; Determine, from the access point cluster, an access point whose signal quality information meets a first preset requirement as a first access point; A random access procedure is initiated through the first access point to access the access point cluster.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The signal quality information includes the transmitted signal strength and the received signal strength; The first preset requirement includes that a difference between the transmitted signal strength and the received signal strength is less than or equal to a preset threshold.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The initiating a random access procedure through the first access point includes: receiving access configuration information of the access point cluster; Based on the access configuration information, a random access procedure is initiated through the first access point.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The access configuration information of the access point cluster includes common configuration parameters of the access point cluster and exclusive configuration parameters of each access point in the access point cluster.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The public configuration parameters of the access point cluster include at least one of an access point cluster identifier, a data encryption type of the access point cluster, and a broadcast parameter.

6. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The dedicated configuration parameters of the access point include at least one of a random access channel identifier, a frequency, a bandwidth, and a random access preamble code corresponding to the access point.

7. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that: The initiating a random access procedure through the first access point based on the access configuration information includes: Based on the common configuration parameters of the access point cluster and the exclusive configuration parameters of the first access point, a random access procedure is initiated through the first access point.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving first indication information sent by an activated access point, where the first indication information is used to indicate at least one second access point in the access point cluster to provide a data service; Based on the first indication information, data is transmitted through the at least one second access point.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises: receiving second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate activation of a third access point; Based on the second indication information, the third access point is activated, and the signal quality information of the third access point meets a second preset requirement.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving third indication information, where the third indication information is used to indicate deactivation of a fourth access point, where signal quality information of the fourth access point does not meet a second preset requirement; The fourth access point is deactivated based on the third indication information.

11. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The frequency points corresponding to the access points in the access point cluster belong to a preset frequency point set, and the distance between the access points in the access point cluster is less than or equal to a distance threshold.

12. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a base station, the method comprises: A random access process is performed by a first access point in an access point cluster and a terminal device so that the terminal device accesses the access point cluster, the access point cluster includes at least two access points, and the first access point is an access point in the access point cluster whose signal quality information meets a first preset requirement.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: The access configuration information of the access point cluster is sent through at least one access point in the access point cluster.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The access configuration information of the access point cluster includes common configuration parameters of the access point cluster and exclusive configuration parameters of each access point in the access point cluster.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The public configuration parameters of the access point cluster include at least one of an access point cluster identifier, a data encryption type of the access point cluster, and a broadcast parameter.

16. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The dedicated configuration parameters of the access point include at least one of a random access channel identifier, a frequency, a bandwidth, and a random access preamble code corresponding to the access point.

17. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending first indication information to the terminal device through an activated access point in the access point cluster, where the first indication information is used to indicate at least one second access point in the access point cluster to provide a data service; Data is transmitted with the terminal device via the at least one second access point.

18. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: Monitoring whether signal quality information of an inactivated access point in the access point cluster meets a second preset requirement; In a case where the signal quality information of a third access point among the unactivated access points meets the second preset requirement, second indication information is sent to the terminal device, where the second indication information is used to instruct activation of the third access point.

19. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: Monitoring whether signal quality information of activated access points in the access point cluster meets a second preset requirement; When the signal quality information of a fourth access point among the activated access points does not meet the second preset requirement, third indication information is sent to the terminal device, where the third indication information is used to instruct to deactivate the fourth access point.

20. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The frequency points corresponding to the access points in the access point cluster belong to a preset frequency point set, and the distance between the access points in the access point cluster is less than or equal to a distance threshold.

21. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: When the access point used for data transmission with the terminal device at the current moment and the access point used for data transmission with the terminal device at the historical moment do not belong to the same physical entity, fourth indication information is sent to the core network device, and the fourth indication information is used to indicate switching the data transmission path between the core network and the terminal device.

22. A communication device, characterized in that: include: a processor and a memory for storing instructions executable by the processor; The processor is configured to execute the instructions so that the communication device performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and when the computer instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is enabled to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

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