Communication method and terminal equipment

Abstract

The invention relates to a communication method and terminal equipment. The method comprises the following steps: the terminal equipment resides in a first network and is in a connected state; under the condition that the terminal equipment determines that the network search condition is met, executing a search process of the target network; the target network is different from the first network. According to the invention, the search process of the target network can be quickly executed in the connected state, so that a foundation is laid for quickly entering the target network and improving the user experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a communication method and terminal equipment. Background Art

[0002] When existing terminal devices are registered on the 4G network and are in the connected state, they cannot quickly return to the 5G network, for example, they cannot quickly return to the 5G SA network, which affects the user experience. Summary of the invention

[0003] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and a terminal device, which can quickly execute the search process of the target network when in a connected state, thereby laying a foundation for quickly entering the target network and improving the user experience.

[0004] The present application provides a communication method, including:

[0005] The terminal device resides in the first network and is in a connected state;

[0006] When the terminal device determines that the network search condition is met, it executes a search process for a target network; the target network is different from the first network.

[0007] The present application provides a terminal device, including:

[0008] A first processing unit, configured to reside in a first network and be in a connected state;

[0009] The second processing unit is used to execute a search process for a target network when it is determined that the network search condition is met; the target network is different from the first network.

[0010] The embodiment of the present application provides a terminal device, including a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and a transceiver. The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that the terminal device executes the communication method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0011] An embodiment of the present application provides a chip for implementing the above-mentioned communication method.

[0012] Specifically, the chip includes: a processor, which is used to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes the communication method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0013] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a device, the device executes the communication method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0014] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, including computer program instructions, which enable a computer to execute the communication method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0015] The embodiment of the present application provides a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the communication method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0016] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can quickly execute the search process of the target network when it is in a connected state and meets the network search conditions, thereby laying a foundation for quickly entering the target network and improving the user experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of an application scenario according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0018] Figure 2 It is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0019] Figure 3 It is a schematic flowchart of a communication method in a specific example according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0020] Figure 4 It is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0021] Figure 5 It is a schematic block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0022] Figure 6 is a schematic block diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0024] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Global System of Mobile communication (GSM) system, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, Advanced Long Term Evolution (LTE-A) system, New Radio (NR) system, NR system evolution system, LTE on unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U) system, NR on unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) system, Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) system, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), Wireless Fidelity (Wireless Fidelity) system. Fidelity, WiFi), fifth-generation communication (5th-Generation, 5G) system or other communication systems, etc.

[0025] Generally speaking, traditional communication systems support a limited number of connections and are easy to implement. However, with the development of communication technology, mobile communication systems will not only support traditional communications, but will also support, for example, device to device (Device to Device, D2D) communication, machine to machine (Machine to Machine, M2M) communication, machine type communication (Machine Type Communication, MTC), vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communication, or vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, etc. The embodiments of the present application can also be applied to these communication systems.

[0026] In one implementation, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to a carrier aggregation (CA) scenario, a dual connectivity (DC) scenario, or a standalone (SA) networking scenario.

[0027] In one embodiment, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to an unlicensed spectrum, wherein the unlicensed spectrum can also be considered as a shared spectrum; or, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to an authorized spectrum, wherein the authorized spectrum can also be considered as an unshared spectrum.

[0028] The embodiments of the present application describe various embodiments in conjunction with network devices and terminal devices, wherein the terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device, etc.

[0029] The terminal device can be a station (STAION, ST) in a WLAN, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a next-generation communication system such as an NR network, or a terminal device in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) network, etc.

[0030] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld, wearable or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water surface (such as ships, etc.); it can also be deployed in the air (for example, on airplanes, balloons and satellites, etc.).

[0031] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, 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, a wireless terminal device in self driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, or a wireless terminal device in a smart home, etc.

[0032] As an example but not limitation, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device may also be a wearable device. Wearable devices may also be referred to as wearable smart devices, which are a general term for wearable devices that are intelligently designed and developed using wearable technology for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. Wearable devices are not only hardware devices, but also powerful functions achieved through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include full-featured, large-sized, and fully or partially independent of smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as devices that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various types of smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0033] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device may be a device for communicating with a mobile device. The network device may be an access point (AP) in WLAN, a base station (Base Transceiver Station, BTS) in GSM or CDMA, a base station (NodeB, NB) in WCDMA, an evolved base station (EvolutionalNode B, eNB or eNodeB) in LTE, or a relay station or access point, or a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, and a network device (gNB) in an NR network, or a network device in a future evolved PLMN network, or a network device in an NTN network, etc.

[0034] As an example but not limitation, in an embodiment of the present application, the network device may have a mobile characteristic, for example, the network device may be a mobile device. Optionally, the network device may be a satellite or a balloon station. For example, the satellite may be a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a high elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite, etc. Optionally, the network device may also be a base station set up in a location such as land or water.

[0035] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device can provide services for a cell, and the terminal device communicates with the network device through the transmission resources used by the cell (for example, frequency domain resources, or spectrum resources). The cell can be a cell corresponding to the network device (for example, a base station), and the cell can belong to a macro base station or a base station corresponding to a small cell. The small cells here may include: metro cells, micro cells, pico cells, femto cells, etc. These small cells have the characteristics of small coverage and low transmission power, and are suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services.

[0036] Figure 1 A communication system 100 is exemplarily shown. The communication system includes a network device 110 and two terminal devices 120. In one embodiment, the communication system 100 may include multiple network devices 110, and each network device 110 may include other number of terminal devices 120 within its coverage area, which is not limited in the present embodiment.

[0037] In one implementation, the communication system 100 may also include other network entities such as a mobility management entity (MME), an access and mobility management function (AMF), etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0038] Among them, the network equipment may include access network equipment and core network equipment. That is, the wireless communication system also includes multiple core networks for communicating with the access network equipment. The access network equipment may be an evolutionary base station (evolutional node B, referred to as eNB or e-NodeB) macro base station, micro base station (also called small base station), micro-micro base station, access point (AP), transmission point (TP) or new generation base station (new generation Node B, gNodeB) in a long-term evolution (LTE) system, a next-generation (mobile communication system) (next radio, NR) system or an authorized auxiliary access long-term evolution (LAA-LTE) system.

[0039] It should be understood that the device with communication function in the network / system in the embodiment of the present application can be referred to as a communication device. Figure 1 Taking the communication system shown as an example, the communication equipment may include network equipment and terminal equipment with communication functions. The network equipment and terminal equipment may be specific equipment in the embodiments of the present application and will not be repeated here. The communication equipment may also include other equipment in the communication system, such as network controllers, mobile management entities and other network entities, which are not limited to the embodiments of the present application.

[0040] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably in this article. The term "and / or" in this article is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0041] It should be understood that the "indication" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication of an association relationship. For example, A indicates B, which can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can be obtained through A; it can also mean that A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained through C; it can also mean that there is an association relationship between A and B.

[0042] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" may indicate a direct or indirect correspondence between two items, or an association relationship between the two items, or a relationship between indication and being indicated, configuration and being configured, and the like.

[0043] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the relevant technologies of the embodiments of the present application are described below. The following related technologies can be arbitrarily combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and they all belong to the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0044] The existing terminal devices are registered on the 4G network and are in the connected state, for example, they continue to execute services and are in the connected state. The network equipment is not configured with 5G SA neighboring cell information, or the network equipment is configured with 5G SA neighboring cell information, but the B1 / B2 events required to be reported by these configured neighboring cell information are unreasonable, resulting in the terminal device not triggering the reporting of B1 / B2 events, which in turn causes the terminal device to remain in the 4G network and be unable to return to the 5G SA network, affecting the user experience.

[0045] Based on this, the disclosed solution provides a communication method that enables the terminal device to quickly return to the 5G SA network in the 4G connection state, thereby effectively improving the user experience.

[0046] Figure 2 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 200 according to an embodiment of the present application. The method may optionally be applied to Figure 1 The system shown in the figure is not limited thereto. The method includes at least part of the following contents.

[0047] S210. The terminal device resides in the first network and is in a connected state.

[0048] S220: When the terminal device determines that the network search condition is met, the terminal device executes a search process for a target network; the target network is different from the first network.

[0049] In one implementation, the first network may be a 4G network; further, the target network may be a 5G network, for example, a fifth-generation mobile communication technology independent networking (5th-Generation Standalone, 5G SA) network.

[0050] In one embodiment, after executing the target network search process, for example, after step S220, step S230 is further included, that is, the terminal device executes the target network registration process to try to register with the target network; further, if the registration is successful, the terminal device switches from the first network to the target network and resides in the target network. Alternatively, if the registration is unsuccessful, the terminal device remains in the first network.

[0051] In one implementation, the terminal device can perform network downgrade based on the current state, for example, the terminal device determines whether the network downgrade condition is met, and when it is determined that the network downgrade condition is met, the terminal device performs a first operation, the first operation is used to trigger the target network to enter an inaccessible state, for example, adjusting the terminal capability of accessing the target network to a closed state; accordingly, the terminal device will switch from the target network to the first network, so as to ensure that the terminal device can perform normal network communication through the first network. Alternatively, when it is determined that the network downgrade condition is not met, there is no need to perform network downgrade processing, and the terminal continues to reside in the target network.

[0052] That is to say, in this example, when the terminal device determines that the network degradation conditions are met, the terminal device performs network degradation processing to make the target network in an inaccessible state, and then downgrades from the target network to the first network. For example, the terminal device resides in a 5G network, such as a 5G SA network. At this time, if the terminal device determines that the network degradation conditions are met based on the current state, the network degradation processing is performed, for example, the 5G SA network is triggered to be in an inaccessible state, and then the 5G SA network is switched to the 4G network.

[0053] Here, the network degradation condition includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0054] The temperature of the terminal equipment reaches the specified temperature;

[0055] Data stall on 5G networks (such as 5G SA networks).

[0056] Furthermore, in one embodiment, after performing network degradation processing, the terminal device can also determine whether the network degradation recovery conditions are met based on the current state, and if it is determined that the network degradation recovery conditions are met, perform a second operation, wherein the second operation is used to trigger the target network to enter an accessible state, such as adjusting the terminal capability of accessing the target network to an on state, so that the terminal device can quickly return to the target network and continue normal network communications through the target network.

[0057] For example, in a specific example, when the terminal device determines that the network degradation condition is met, the first operation is performed, and the first operation is used to trigger the target network to enter an inaccessible state; the terminal device switches from the target network to the first network. Further, when the terminal device determines that the network degradation recovery condition is met, the second operation is performed, and the second operation is used to trigger the target network to enter an accessible state. In this scenario, if the terminal device resides in the first network and is in a connected state, the terminal device can execute the search process of the target network when it is determined that the network search condition is met. For example, in an example, after the 5G SA network of the disclosed solution is downgraded, the terminal device will reside in the 4G network. If the 5G SA network is restored, the disclosed solution can be used to quickly enter the search process of the 5G SA network without waiting until the terminal device is in the idle state of the 4G network to trigger the search for the 5G SA network. Therefore, it lays the foundation for quickly entering the 5G SA network to provide users with better network services and thus improve the user experience.

[0058] Alternatively, in another specific example, the 5G SA network is not downgraded, but due to other reasons the terminal device resides in the 4G network and cannot return to the 5G SA network for a long time. At this time, the disclosed solution can also quickly enter the search process of the 5G SA network without waiting until the terminal device is in the idle state of the 4G network to trigger the search for the 5G SA network. Therefore, it lays the foundation for quickly entering the 5G SA network to provide users with better network services and thus improve the user experience.

[0059] In one implementation, the network search condition in S220 includes at least one of the following:

[0060] Condition 1: The update status information is the first information, where the first information indicates that the terminal device has not yet been updated to the target network. For example, when the target network is a 5G SA network, the first information may specifically indicate that the terminal device has not been updated to the 5G SA network.

[0061] Condition 2: Not in a voice call state. For example, the terminal device is not performing a voice call service in mobile communication, or a voice call service in network communication.

[0062] Condition 3: The target application is not in the running state; Here, the target application can be a pre-specified application, such as a game application. In this case, condition 3 can specifically refer to the terminal device not being in the game state. It should be noted that the disclosed solution does not impose specific restrictions on the target application and can be set based on actual business needs.

[0063] Condition 4: The terminal has the ability to access the target network and is in the turned-on state; for example, when the target network is a 5GSA network, at this time, condition 4 may refer to the terminal device being a 5G terminal and the 5G function processing being in the turned-on state.

[0064] Condition 5: The currently registered cell (i.e., the currently registered cell in the first network) is in the preset list, where the preset list stores historical target cells in the first network. For example, when the first network is a 4G network, the preset list may be a 4G designated cell fence list, and the 4G designated cell fence list stores historical target cells in the 4G network.

[0065] In one implementation, the terminal device determines that at least some of the above five conditions are met, or all five conditions are met, and then performs a target network search process.

[0066] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the network search condition also includes

[0067] Condition 6: The display screen is in the startup state.

[0068] At this time, the terminal device determines that at least some of the above six conditions are met, or when all six conditions are met, it performs a target network search process.

[0069] Furthermore, in one implementation, the network search condition further includes:

[0070] Condition seven: The terminal device generates a target instruction, and the target instruction is used to instruct the execution of the registration process of the target network. For example, the user of the terminal device manually triggers the registration process of the target network (such as a 5G SA network). At this time, the terminal device will generate the target instruction.

[0071] At this time, the terminal device determines that at least some of the above conditions one to five and condition seven are met, or all six conditions are met, and then performs a target network search process.

[0072] Alternatively, the terminal device determines that at least some of the above conditions one to seven are met, or all seven conditions are met, and then performs a target network search process.

[0073] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the terminal device also needs to pre-construct the preset list described above. For example, before executing the search process for the target network (for example, before step S220), the terminal device constructs the preset list; here, the historical target cells stored in the preset list are cells that are successfully registered by the terminal device and can be successfully switched to the target network.

[0074] For example, in one example, the terminal device constructs the preset list so as to obtain the network search condition in advance based on the pre-constructed preset list; further, in one scenario, the terminal device resides in the first network and is in a connected state; when the terminal device determines that the network search condition is met, it executes the search process of the target network; after executing the search process of the target network, the terminal device continues to execute the registration process of the target network to try to register with the target network; further, in the case of successful registration, the terminal device switches from the first network to the target network and resides in the target network. Alternatively, in the case of unsuccessful registration, it maintains in the first network.

[0075] Here, in one example, the preset list can be stored in a cloud server. Accordingly, when the terminal device needs to judge the network search conditions, it obtains the latest preset list from the cloud server. That is to say, the update and maintenance of the preset list are performed in the cloud server, and the terminal device does not need to directly store the preset list locally. Alternatively, in another example, the preset list is stored locally on the terminal device, and the update process of the preset list is completed locally. It should be noted that the disclosed solution does not limit the specific storage location of the preset list, which can be set based on actual needs.

[0076] For example, at least one of the following cells may be used as a historical target cell and added to the preset list:

[0077] (1) The terminal device is registered to the cell A1 in the first network (such as the 4G network). When not in a call, the terminal device turns on and off the flight mode and successfully registers with the cell in the target network (such as the 5G SA network). Here, the interval between turning on and off the flight mode is less than 30 seconds. At this time, the A1 cell in the first network can be used as a historical target cell and added to the preset list.

[0078] (2) The terminal device is registered to the cell A2 in the first network (such as the 4G network). When not in a call, the terminal device successfully registers with the cell in the target network (such as the 5G SA network) after hot-swapping the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card. Here, the interval for hot-swapping the SIM card is less than or equal to 30 seconds. At this time, the A2 cell in the first network can be used as a historical target cell and added to the preset list.

[0079] (3) The terminal device is registered to the cell A3 in the first network (such as the 4G network) and is not in a call. After the terminal device is restarted, it successfully registers to the cell in the target network (such as the 5G SA network); at this time, the A3 cell in the first network can be used as a historical target cell and added to the preset list.

[0080] (4) The terminal device is registered to cell A4 in the first network (such as the 4G network) and is not in a call. The first configuration information configured by the acquired network device carries the neighboring cell information of the target network, for example, the system information block (SIB) 24, which carries the neighboring cell information of the target network (such as the 5G SA network); but the terminal device does not register with the cell in the target network (such as the 5G SA network) within a first preset time (such as 5 minutes or 10 minutes). At this time, the A4 cell in the first network can be used as a historical target cell and added to the preset list.

[0081] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the preset list can also be optimized. For example, the terminal device executes the registration process of the target network, and if the terminal device fails to register successfully, the current cell, that is, the cell in the first network currently located, can be removed from the preset list. For example, if after executing the registration process of the target network (such as a 5G SA network), and the registration is not successful within the second preset time (such as 15s), the cell of the currently resident first network (such as a 4G network) is removed from the preset list. Otherwise, if the registration is successful within the second preset time (such as 15s or 20s), there is no need to remove the cell of the currently resident first network (such as a 4G network) from the preset list, so as to optimize the preset list.

[0082] Figure 3 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application in a specific example, such as Figure 3 As shown, the specific process of the communication method includes:

[0083] S310. A mobile terminal, such as a mobile phone, resides in a 4G network, such as a cell in the 4G network, and is in a connected state.

[0084] S320. Determine whether the 5G SA network is downgraded; if so, execute S330; otherwise, execute S340.

[0085] S330, check whether the 5G SA network has been restored; if so, execute S340; otherwise, continue to determine whether the 5G SA network has been restored after the first preset interval.

[0086] S340, determine whether the network search condition is met. If so, execute S350; otherwise, re-determine whether the network search condition is met after a second preset interval.

[0087] Here, the network search condition includes at least one of the following:

[0088] Condition 1: The mobile terminal has not been updated to the 5G SA network.

[0089] Condition 2: The mobile terminal does not conduct a voice call service in mobile communications and does not conduct a voice call service in network communications.

[0090] Condition 3: The mobile terminal is not in game mode.

[0091] Condition 4: The mobile terminal is a 5G terminal and the 5G function processing is turned on.

[0092] Condition 5: The currently registered cell is in the 4G designated cell fence list.

[0093] Condition 6: The display screen of the mobile terminal is in the start-up state.

[0094] Condition 7: The mobile terminal manually triggers registration on the 5G SA network.

[0095] S350. The mobile terminal attempts to perform the search process and registration process of the 5G SA network, and counts the number of search attempts.

[0096] S360, determine whether the registration to the 5G SA network is successful. If the registration is successful, execute S370. Otherwise, that is, if the registration is unsuccessful, determine whether the number of search attempts is greater than the preset number; if so, execute S380; otherwise, that is, if it is less than or equal to the preset number, return to S350.

[0097] S370: The mobile terminal switches from the 4G network to the 5G SA network.

[0098] S380: The mobile terminal remains in the 4G network.

[0099] In this way, when the terminal device (with 5G function) resides in the 4G network and there is a 5G SA network environment, and the 5G SA cell is a suitable cell, that is, all the conditions of the suitable cell are met, the disclosed solution can return from the 4G network to the 5G SA network within an average of 15 seconds, thereby effectively improving the user experience.

[0100] Figure 4 4 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device 400 according to an embodiment of the present application. The terminal device 400 may include:

[0101] The first processing unit 410 is configured to reside in the first network and be in a connected state;

[0102] The second processing unit 420 is configured to execute a search process for a target network when it is determined that the network search condition is met; the target network is different from the first network.

[0103] In one embodiment, the first processing unit is further configured to perform a first operation when determining that a network degradation condition is met, wherein the first operation is configured to trigger a target network to enter an inaccessible state; and switch from the target network to the first network.

[0104] In one embodiment, the first processing unit is further configured to perform a second operation when determining that a network degradation recovery condition is met, wherein the second operation is configured to trigger the target network to enter an accessible state.

[0105] In one implementation, the network search condition includes at least one of the following:

[0106] The update status information is first information, and the first information indicates that the terminal device has not yet been updated to the target network;

[0107] Not in voice call state;

[0108] The target application is not running;

[0109] The terminal has the ability to access the target network and is in the enabled state;

[0110] The currently registered cell is in a preset list; the preset list stores historical target cells in the first network.

[0111] In one embodiment, the second processing unit is further used to construct the preset list before executing the search process for the target network; wherein the historical target cells stored in the preset list are cells that the terminal device has successfully registered and can successfully switch to the target network.

[0112] In one embodiment, the second processing unit is further configured to execute a registration process of the target network after executing the search process of the target network; and reside in the target network if the registration is successful.

[0113] In one embodiment, the second processing unit is further configured to execute a registration process for the target network after executing the search process for the target network; if the registration is unsuccessful, maintain the first network.

[0114] In one implementation, the second processing unit is further configured to remove a cell in the current first network from a preset list.

[0115] In one embodiment, the first network is a 4G network; and / or the target network is a 5GSA network.

[0116] The terminal device 400 of the embodiment of the present application can implement the corresponding functions of the terminal device in the aforementioned method embodiment. The processes, functions, implementation methods and beneficial effects corresponding to the various modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) in the terminal device 400 can be found in the corresponding descriptions in the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here. It should be noted that the functions described by the various modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) in the terminal device 400 of the embodiment of the application can be implemented by different modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.), or by the same module (sub-module, unit or component, etc.).

[0117] In the embodiments of the present application, the units of the above-mentioned terminal devices can implement the functions of each unit in the form of software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of modules or units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0118] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may be one physical unit or multiple physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed in multiple different places. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the present embodiment.

[0119] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units. For example, at least one of the first processing unit and the second processing unit of the terminal device may be implemented by a processor of the terminal device.

[0120] Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 500 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 500 includes a processor 510, and the processor 510 can call and run a computer program from a memory to enable the communication device 500 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0121] In one implementation, the communication device 500 may further include a memory 520. The processor 510 may call and run a computer program from the memory 520, so that the communication device 500 implements the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0122] The memory 520 may be a separate device independent of the processor 510 , or may be integrated into the processor 510 .

[0123] In one implementation, the communication device 500 may further include a transceiver 530, and the processor 510 may control the transceiver 530 to communicate with other devices, specifically, may send information or data to other devices, or receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0124] The transceiver 530 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 530 may further include an antenna, and the number of the antennas may be one or more.

[0125] In one implementation, the communication device 500 may be a terminal device of an embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 500 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the terminal device in each method of the embodiment of the present application, which will not be described in detail here for the sake of brevity.

[0126] Figure 6 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip 600 according to an embodiment of the present application. The chip 600 includes a processor 610, and the processor 610 can call and run a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0127] In one implementation, the chip 600 may further include a memory 620. The processor 610 may call and run a computer program from the memory 620 to implement the method executed by the terminal device or the network device in the embodiment of the present application.

[0128] The memory 620 may be a separate device independent of the processor 610 , or may be integrated into the processor 610 .

[0129] In one implementation, the chip 600 may further include an input interface 630. The processor 610 may control the input interface 630 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may obtain information or data sent by other devices or chips.

[0130] In one implementation, the chip 600 may further include an output interface 640. The processor 610 may control the output interface 640 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0131] In one implementation, the chip can be applied to the network device in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in each method of the embodiments of the present application, which will not be described in detail here for the sake of brevity.

[0132] In one implementation, the chip can be applied to the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the terminal device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0133] The chips used in the network device and the terminal device may be the same chip or different chips.

[0134] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can also be called a system-level chip, a system chip, a chip system or a system-on-chip chip, etc.

[0135] The processor mentioned above may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. Among them, the general-purpose processor mentioned above may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0136] The memory mentioned above may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM) or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM).

[0137] It should be understood that the above-mentioned memory is exemplary but not restrictive. For example, the memory in the embodiments of the present application may also be static random access memory (static RAM, SRAM), dynamic random access memory (dynamic RAM, DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (synchronous DRAM, SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (double data rate SDRAM, DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (enhanced SDRAM, ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (synch link DRAM, SLDRAM) and direct memory bus random access memory (Direct Rambus RAM, DR RAM), etc. That is to say, the memory in the embodiments of the present application is intended to include but not limited to these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0138] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function in accordance with the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions 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 instructions can be transmitted from a website site, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (Digital Subscriber Line, DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website site, computer, server or data center. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. that contains one or more available media integrations. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0139] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0140] Those skilled in the art can 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.

[0141] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which 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, comprising: The terminal device resides in the first network and is in a connected state; When the terminal device determines that the network search conditions are met, it executes the target network search process; The target network is different from the first network.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Before the terminal device resides on the first network, the method further includes: When the terminal device determines that the network degradation condition is met, performing a first operation, wherein the first operation is used to trigger the target network to enter an inaccessible state; The terminal device switches from the target network to the first network.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: After the terminal device switches from the target network to the first network, the method further includes: When the terminal device determines that a network degradation recovery condition is met, the terminal device performs a second operation, where the second operation is used to trigger the target network to enter an accessible state.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The network search condition includes at least one of the following: The update status information is first information, and the first information indicates that the terminal device has not yet been updated to the target network; Not in voice call state; The target application is not running; The terminal has the ability to access the target network and is in the enabled state; The currently registered cell is in the preset list; The preset list stores historical target cells in the first network.

5. The method according to claim 4, before executing the search process of the target network, the method further comprises: The terminal device constructs the preset list; wherein the historical target cells stored in the preset list are cells that the terminal device has successfully registered with and can successfully switch to the target network.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, after executing the target network search process, the method further comprises: The terminal device executes a registration process of the target network; When the registration is successful, the terminal device resides in the target network.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, after executing the target network search process, the method further comprises: The terminal device executes a registration process of the target network; If the terminal device fails to register successfully, it remains in the first network.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: The terminal device removes the cell in the first network where it is currently located from the preset list.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The first network is a 4G network; and / or the target network is a 5G SA network.

10. A terminal device, comprising: A first processing unit, configured to reside in a first network and be in a connected state; The second processing unit is used to execute a search process for a target network when it is determined that the network search condition is met; the target network is different from the first network.

11. A terminal device, comprising: a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and a transceiver; Wherein, the memory is used to store computer programs; The processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that the terminal device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

12. A chip, comprising: A processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory so as to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

13. A computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program, which, when executed by a device, causes the device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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