Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of communication, and discloses a communication method and device. The method comprises the following steps: a target main base station receives measurement information of at least one cell from a source main base station; and after the terminal equipment is switched from the source main base station to the target main base station, auxiliary base station adding request information is sent to a target auxiliary base station, and the target auxiliary base station is selected from the base stations to which the at least one cell belongs according to the measurement information of the at least one cell. By adopting the method, the target main base station sends the auxiliary base station adding request information to the target auxiliary base station after the terminal equipment is switched from the source main base station to the target main base station, and the target auxiliary base station is selected according to the measurement information of the at least one cell sent by the source main base station; therefore, the success rate of adding the auxiliary base station can be improved while the interruption time of the service on the auxiliary base station is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Currently, two networking solutions, non-stand alone (NSA) and stand alone (SA), have been introduced into the 5th generation (5G) standard. As a transitional solution, non-stand alone aims to increase the bandwidth in hotspot areas. In non-stand alone, 5G base stations do not have independent signaling planes and rely on the 4th generation (4G) base stations and 4G core network. Stand alone networking can realize all the new features of 5G, which is conducive to the development of 5G capabilities and is recognized by the industry as the 5G target solution.

[0003] In the early stage of 5G network construction, due to practical issues such as technical capabilities and equipment costs, a non-independent networking solution is temporarily used to build the 5G network. In the non-independent networking solution, the terminal device can connect to two base stations at the same time, one of which is a 4G base station, which can be used as the main base station of the terminal device, and the other is a 5G base station, which can be used as the auxiliary base station of the terminal device.

[0004] However, when a terminal device is connected to two base stations at the same time, how to implement the switching of the terminal device still requires further research. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus for reducing the interruption duration of services on a secondary base station and improving the success rate of adding a target secondary base station.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a target main base station of a terminal device or a processor or chip or chip system (such as a system-on-a-chip (SoC)) or a functional module in the target main base station. Taking the method applied to the target main base station as an example, the target main base station receives measurement information of at least one cell from the source main base station; after the terminal device switches from the source main base station to the target main base station, a secondary base station addition request information is sent to the target secondary base station, and the secondary base station addition request information is used to add a secondary base station corresponding to the target main base station, and the target secondary base station is selected from the base stations to which the at least one cell belongs according to the measurement information of the at least one cell.

[0007] Using the above method, the source main base station first sends the measurement information of at least one cell to the target main base station. After the terminal device switches from the source main base station to the target main base station, the target main base station then adds the target secondary base station. The target secondary base station is selected based on the measurement information of at least one cell, thereby reducing the interruption time of the service on the secondary base station while improving the success rate of adding the secondary base station.

[0008] In one possible design, the method also includes: receiving a secondary base station adding request confirmation information from the target secondary base station, the secondary base station adding request confirmation information including first configuration information, the first configuration information including parameters for the terminal device to connect to the target secondary base station; sending first information to the terminal device, the first information including the first configuration information, the first information being used to instruct the terminal device to connect to the target secondary base station.

[0009] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending second configuration information to the source main base station, the second configuration information including parameters for the terminal device to switch to the target main base station.

[0010] In one possible design, measurement information of at least one cell is received from a source main base station, including: receiving switching request information from the source main base station, the switching request information is used to request switching the terminal device to the target main base station, and the switching request information includes the measurement information of the at least one cell.

[0011] In a possible design, after the terminal device switches from the source main base station to the target main base station, sending a secondary base station adding request information to the target secondary base station, including: after the terminal device switches from the source main base station to the target main base station, if it is determined that a preset condition is met, sending a secondary base station adding request information to the target secondary base station; wherein, satisfying the preset condition includes at least one of the following: a historical success rate of the target main base station adding the target secondary base station is greater than or equal to a first threshold; a historical success rate of switching from the source main base station to the target main base station is greater than or equal to a second threshold; and a product of the historical success rate of the target main base station adding the target secondary base station and the historical success rate of switching from the source main base station to the target main base station is greater than or equal to a third threshold.

[0012] In this way, the target primary base station determines by itself which specific method to adopt to add the target secondary base station, which is more flexible.

[0013] In one possible design, the method further includes: if it is determined that the terminal device has not switched from the source main base station to the target main base station, deleting the measurement information of the at least one cell.

[0014] In one possible design, determining that the terminal device has not switched from the source main base station to the target main base station includes: receiving switching cancellation information from the source main base station, and determining that the terminal device has not switched from the source main base station to the target main base station based on the switching cancellation information; or, if no switching completion information is received from the terminal device within a preset time period, determining that the terminal device has not switched from the source main base station to the target main base station, and the start time of the preset time period is the reception time of the measurement information of the at least one cell.

[0015] In a possible design, the source main base station and the target main base station correspond to a first communication standard, and the target secondary base station corresponds to a second communication standard.

[0016] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a terminal device or a processor or chip or chip system (such as SoC) or functional module in the terminal device. Taking the application of the method to the terminal device as an example, the terminal device sends measurement information of at least one cell to a source primary base station; after the terminal device switches from the source primary base station to the target primary base station, the terminal device receives first information from the target primary base station, the first information is used to instruct the terminal device to establish a connection with a target secondary base station, and the target secondary base station is selected from the base stations to which the at least one cell belongs according to the measurement information of the at least one cell; according to the first information, a connection is established with the target secondary base station.

[0017] In one possible design, second information is received from the source primary base station, where the second information is used to instruct the terminal device to switch to the target primary base station; after switching to the target primary base station according to the second information

[0018] In a possible design, the source main base station and the target main base station correspond to a first communication standard, and the target secondary base station corresponds to a second communication standard.

[0019] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication method, the method comprising: a terminal device sending measurement information of at least one cell to a source primary base station; after the source primary base station receives the measurement information of the at least one cell, sending the measurement information of the at least one cell to a target primary base station; after determining that the terminal device is switched from the source primary base station to the target primary base station, the target primary base station sends a secondary base station addition request information to a target secondary base station, the secondary base station addition request information is used to add a secondary base station corresponding to the target primary base station, and the target secondary base station is selected from the base stations to which the at least one cell belongs according to the measurement information of the at least one cell;

[0020] In one possible design, the method also includes: the target secondary base station sends a secondary base station addition request confirmation message to the target main base station, the secondary base station addition request confirmation message includes first configuration information, and the first configuration information includes parameters for the terminal device to connect to the target secondary base station; the target main base station receives the first configuration information, and sends first information to the terminal device, the first information includes the first configuration information, and the first information is used to indicate that the terminal device connects to the target secondary base station; the terminal device establishes a connection with the target secondary base station according to the first information.

[0021] In one possible design, the method also includes: the target main base station sends second configuration information to the source main base station, the second configuration information includes parameters for the terminal device to switch to the target main base station; the source main base station receives the second configuration information, and sends second information to the terminal device, the second information is used to instruct the terminal device to switch to the target main base station, the second information includes the second configuration information; the terminal device receives the second information, and switches to the target main base station according to the second information.

[0022] In one possible design, after the terminal device switches from the source main base station to the target main base station, if the target main base station determines that the preset conditions are met, it sends a secondary base station addition request information to the target secondary base station; wherein, meeting the preset conditions includes at least one of the following: a historical success rate of the target main base station adding the target secondary base station is greater than or equal to a first threshold; a historical success rate of switching from the source main base station to the target main base station is greater than or equal to a second threshold; a product of the historical success rate of the target main base station adding the target secondary base station and the historical success rate of switching from the source main base station to the target main base station is greater than or equal to a third threshold.

[0023] In a possible design, the method further includes: if the target main base station determines that the terminal device has not switched from the source main base station to the target main base station, deleting the measurement information of the at least one cell.

[0024] In one possible design, the method further includes: the target main base station receives a switching cancellation message from the source main base station, and determines, based on the switching cancellation message, that the terminal device has not switched from the source main base station to the target main base station; or, if no switching completion message is received from the terminal device within a preset time period, then it is determined that the terminal device has not switched from the source main base station to the target main base station, and the start time of the preset time period is the reception time of the measurement information of the at least one cell.

[0025] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, the communication system comprising a source primary base station and a target primary base station, the source primary base station is used for the target primary base station to send measurement information of at least one cell, and the target primary base station is used to execute the method described in any possible design of the first aspect. Optionally, the communication system also includes a terminal device, the terminal device is used to execute the method described in any possible design of the second aspect. Optionally, the communication system also includes a target secondary base station.

[0026] For example, the source main base station is used to send measurement information of at least one cell to the target main base station; the target main base station is used to receive the measurement information of the at least one cell, and after the terminal device switches from the source main base station to the target main base station, sends a secondary base station addition request information to the target secondary base station, and the target secondary base station is selected from the base stations to which the at least one cell belongs based on the measurement information of the at least one cell; the target secondary base station is used to receive the secondary base station addition request information from the target main base station.

[0027] In one possible design, the target secondary base station is also used to send a secondary base station addition request confirmation message to the target main base station, and the secondary base station addition request confirmation message includes first configuration information, and the first configuration information includes parameters for the terminal device to connect to the target secondary base station; the target main base station is also used to receive the first configuration information, and send first information to the terminal device, the first information includes the first configuration information, and the first information is used to indicate that the terminal device connects to the target secondary base station; the terminal device is used to establish a connection with the target secondary base station according to the first information.

[0028] In one possible design, the target main base station is also used to send second configuration information to the source main base station, the second configuration information including parameters for the terminal device to switch to the target main base station; the source main base station is also used to receive the second configuration information and send second information to the terminal device, the second information being used to instruct the terminal device to switch to the target main base station, the second information including the second configuration information; the terminal device is used to receive the second information and switch to the target main base station according to the second information.

[0029] In one possible design, the target main base station is specifically used to: if it is determined that the preset conditions are met, then after the terminal device switches from the source main base station to the target main base station, send a secondary base station addition request information to the target secondary base station; wherein, satisfying the preset conditions includes at least one of the following: a historical success rate of the target main base station adding the target secondary base station is greater than or equal to a first threshold; a historical success rate of switching from the source main base station to the target main base station is greater than or equal to a second threshold; the product of the historical success rate of the target main base station adding the target secondary base station and the historical success rate of switching from the source main base station to the target main base station is greater than or equal to a third threshold.

[0030] In a possible design, the target main base station is further used to delete the measurement information of the at least one cell if it is determined that the terminal device has not switched from the source main base station to the target main base station.

[0031] In one possible design, the target main base station is specifically used to receive switching cancellation information from the source main base station, and determine, based on the switching cancellation information, that the terminal device has not switched from the source main base station to the target main base station; or, if no switching completion information is received from the terminal device within a preset time period, then it is determined that the terminal device has not switched from the source main base station to the target main base station, and the start time of the preset time period is the reception time of the measurement information of the at least one cell.

[0032] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which has the function of implementing the functions involved in the first or second aspect above. For example, the communication device includes a module or unit or means corresponding to the operations involved in the first or second aspect above. The function or unit or means can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or the corresponding software can be implemented by hardware.

[0033] In a possible design, the communication device includes a processing unit and a communication unit, wherein the communication unit can be used to send and receive signals to achieve communication between the communication device and other devices, for example, the communication unit is used to send system information to a terminal; the processing unit can be used to perform some internal operations of the communication device. The functions performed by the processing unit and the communication unit can correspond to the operations involved in the first aspect or the second aspect described above.

[0034] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor, which can be used to couple with a memory. The memory can store necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions involved in the first aspect or the second aspect. The processor can execute the computer program or instructions stored in the memory, and when the computer program or instructions are executed, the communication device implements the method in any possible design or implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0035] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor and a memory, and the memory can store necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions involved in the first aspect or the second aspect. The processor can execute the computer program or instructions stored in the memory, and when the computer program or instructions are executed, the communication device implements the method in any possible design or implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0036] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the processor is used to communicate with other devices through the interface circuit and execute the method in any possible design or implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect above.

[0037] It can be understood that in the fifth aspect above, the processor can be implemented by hardware or by software. When implemented by hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, etc.; when implemented by software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor, which is implemented by reading the software code stored in the memory. In addition, the above processors can be one or more, and the memories can be one or more. The memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory can be separately set from the processor. In the specific implementation process, the memory can be integrated with the processor on the same chip, or can be set on different chips respectively. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the type of memory and the setting method of the memory and the processor.

[0038] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program (or computer-readable instructions) is stored. When a computer reads and executes part or all of the computer-readable instructions, the method in any possible design of the first aspect or the second aspect is executed.

[0039] Exemplarily, a computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example but not limitation, a computer-readable medium can include a non-transitory computer-readable medium, a random-access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer.

[0040] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer program product. When a computer reads and executes the computer program product, the method in any possible design of the first aspect or the second aspect is executed.

[0041] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a chip (or a chip system), wherein the chip includes a processor, the processor is coupled to a memory, and the memory stores a computer program; the processor is used to call part or all of the computer program in the memory so that the method in any possible design of the first aspect or the second aspect above is executed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a network architecture applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of dual connection provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the implementation process of adding a secondary base station provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 4 A flow chart corresponding to the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 5 A flow chart corresponding to the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 6 A possible exemplary block diagram of the device involved in the embodiments of the present application;

[0048] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] 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. The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as 4G communication systems (such as long-term evolution (LTE) systems), 5G mobile communication systems (such as new radio (NR) systems), transition systems between 4G communication systems and 5G communication systems, or future evolved communication systems, etc.

[0050] In particular, embodiments of the present application may be applicable to dual connectivity (DC), such as dual connectivity scenarios of non-independent networking. Dual connectivity is also referred to as carrier aggregation technology between base stations or multi-stream aggregation technology, and dual connectivity means that a terminal device receives data from two base stations at the same time, that is, two base stations provide communication services to user equipment at the same time. One of the two base stations is a master base station or a master node (MN), and the other base station is called a secondary base station or a secondary node (SN). The cell group provided by the master base station can be called a master cell group (MCG), and the cell group provided by the secondary base station can be called a secondary cell group (SCG).

[0051] The present application will present various aspects, embodiments or features around a system that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that each system may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the drawings. In addition, combinations of these schemes may also be used. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplarily" and "for example" are used to represent examples, illustrations or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as an "example" in the present application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of the word "example" is intended to present concepts in a specific way. In the embodiments of the present application, "of", "corresponding, relevant" and "corresponding" can sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that when the distinction is not emphasized, the meanings to be expressed are consistent.

[0052] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, first Figure 1 The network architecture shown in FIG. 1 is used as an example to describe in detail the network architecture applicable to the embodiments of the present application. Figure 1As shown, the terminal device 103 can access the operator network to obtain services of an external network (such as the Internet) through the operator network, or communicate with other devices through the operator network, such as communicating with other terminal devices.

[0053] Among them, the operator network includes an access network (such as a radio access network (RAN) and a core network (CN). The access network is used to access the terminal device 103 to the operator network, and the core network is used to manage the terminal device and provide a gateway for communicating with the external network. The access network may include one or more access network devices, such as access network device 1011 and access network device 1012, and the core network may include one or more core network devices, such as core network device 102. The terminal device 103 can be connected to two access network devices at the same time in a dual connection manner, such as access network device 1011 and access network device 1012.

[0054] (1) Access network equipment

[0055] The access network device may also be referred to as a base station. At present, some examples of access network devices are: evolved NodeB (eNB) (i.e., 4G base station), access point (AP), transmission reception point (TRP), next generation NodeB (gNB) (i.e., 5G base station), base stations in future mobile communication systems, etc. The access network device may be a macro base station, a micro base station or an indoor station, a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN) or a cloud radio access network (cloudradio access network, CRAN) scenario. Optionally, the access network device may also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or a vehicle-mounted device, etc. All or part of the functions of the access network device in this application may also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The access network device in this application may also be a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device.

[0056] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the access network device may also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the access network device, or by a control subsystem including the functions of the access network device. The control subsystem including the functions of the access network device here may be a control center in the above application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, smart transportation, and smart city.

[0057] (2) Terminal equipment

[0058] A terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), terminal, user device, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal unit, terminal station, terminal device, wireless communication device, user agent or user device.

[0059] For example, the terminal device in the embodiment of the present application can be a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, a tablet computer (Pad), a drone, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a machine type communication (MTC) terminal device, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, an Internet of Things (IoT) 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, a wireless terminal device in a smart home (such as a game console, a smart TV, a smart speaker, a smart refrigerator, and fitness equipment, etc.), and a vehicle-mounted terminal device.

[0060] The functions of the terminal device may also be performed by a module (such as a chip or a modem) in the terminal device, or may be performed by a device including the terminal functions.

[0061] In addition, the access network equipment and the terminal equipment can be fixed or movable. The access network equipment and the terminal equipment can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on the water surface; they can also be deployed on airplanes, balloons, and artificial satellites in the air. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the application scenarios of the access network equipment and the terminal equipment.

[0062] (3) Core network equipment

[0063] The core network may include multiple core network devices or core network elements, and the access network devices may be connected to the core network elements by wireless or wired means. The core network elements and the wireless access network devices may be independent and different physical devices, or the functions of the core network elements and the logical functions of the wireless access network devices may be integrated on the same physical device, or the functions of some core network elements and some wireless access network devices may be integrated on one physical device.

[0064] Taking the 4G communication system as an example, the core network of the 4G communication system can be called an evolved packet core (EPC). The EPC can include core network devices such as a mobility management entity (MME) and a serving gateway (S-GW).

[0065] It is understandable that the network 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. A person of ordinary skill in the art will know that with the evolution of the communication 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. In addition, Figure 1 This is just a schematic diagram. The access network of this network architecture may also include other access network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices.

[0066] based on Figure 1 The network architecture shown in the figure is shown in the figure. The following is an explanation of the relevant terms involved in the embodiments of the present application. It should be noted that these explanations are intended to make the embodiments of the present application easier to understand and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of protection claimed by the present application.

[0067] (1) Dual connection for non-independent networking

[0068] In the above Figure 1In the network architecture shown, when a non-independent networking solution is adopted, a 5G communication system and a 4G communication system can be deployed at the same time. The terminal device 103 can communicate with the network using the LTE-NR dual connection technology, that is, the terminal device 103 supports simultaneous access to a 4G base station and a 5G base station, for example, the access network device 1011 is a 4G base station, and the access network device 1012 is a 5G base station. Since the 4G communication system is also called evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA), this access method is called evolved universal terrestrial radio access and new air interface dual connectivity (E-UTRA NR dual connectivity, EN-DC). In the EN-DC mode, the 4G base station is the master base station, which can be called the master evolved NodeB (MeNB), and the 5G base station is the secondary base station, which can be called the secondary next generation NodeB (SgNB).

[0069] It is understandable that with the evolution of the communication system, it will be possible to support new air interface and evolved universal terrestrial radio access dual connectivity (NR E-UTRA dual connectivity, NE-DC) in the future, that is, the 4G base station is the secondary base station and the 5G base station is the primary base station.

[0070] Take EN-DC as an example. Figure 2 As shown, on the control plane, the 4G base station can receive control signaling from the core network device (such as MME) and control the terminal device or 5G base station according to the control signaling. Among them, the control signaling can be a variety of possible signaling, which is not specifically limited.

[0071] In the downlink direction of the user plane, such as Figure 2 As shown, the 4G base station can receive data from the core network device (such as the service gateway) and send the data to the terminal device, or send the data to the 5G base station and the 5G base station sends the data to the terminal device. In the uplink direction of the user plane, the terminal device can send data to the 4G base station, and the 4G base station can send the data to the core network device, or the terminal device sends data to the 5G base station, the 5G base station sends the data to the 4G base station, and then the 4G base station sends the data to the core network device.

[0072] (2) Adding a secondary base station

[0073] After the terminal device accesses the 4G base station, the 4G base station can add a secondary base station (i.e., a 5G base station) for the terminal device, so that the terminal device can be connected to the 4G base station and the 5G base station through dual connection.

[0074] Figure 3 A possible implementation process for adding a secondary base station is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, the process may include:

[0075] S301, the terminal device establishes a connection with the 4G base station.

[0076] Here, the terminal device can access the 4G base station through an initial access process, a switching process, a radio resource control (RRC) re-establishment process, or a cell reselection process, that is, establish an RRC connection with the 4G base station.

[0077] S302, the 4G base station sends measurement configuration information (such as measurement configuration information of the B1 event) to the terminal device, and the measurement configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to measure the adjacent NR cell.

[0078] S303: The terminal device measures the adjacent 5G cells according to the measurement configuration information of the B1 event, and reports the measurement information of at least one 5G cell.

[0079] Exemplarily, after the terminal device obtains the measurement information of at least one 5G cell, if the measurement information of at least one 5G cell meets the reporting conditions of the B1 event, the measurement information of at least one 5G cell can be reported.

[0080] S304, the 4G base station receives measurement information of at least one 5G cell, and selects a 5G base station as a secondary base station from the 5G base stations to which the at least one 5G cell belongs according to the measurement information of the at least one 5G cell.

[0081] S305, the 4G base station sends a secondary base station addition request (such as SgNB additionrequest) information to the selected 5G base station.

[0082] Among them, the secondary base station adding request information is used to request to add a 5G base station as a secondary base station for the terminal device.

[0083] S306, the 5G base station sends a secondary base station addition request confirmation (such as SgNB Addition RequestACK) information to the 4G base station.

[0084] The secondary base station addition request confirmation information may also be referred to as the secondary base station addition response (eg, SgNB additionresponse) information. The secondary base station addition request confirmation information includes parameters for the terminal device to connect to the 5G base station, such as the synchronization signal block (SSB) frequency and beam information of the 5G base station.

[0085] S307, the 4G base station receives the secondary base station adding request confirmation information, and sends RRC connection reconfiguration information to the terminal device.

[0086] Among them, the RRC connection reconfiguration information is used to instruct the terminal device to establish a connection with the 5G base station (the connection can be a 5G user plane connection), and the RRC connection reconfiguration information includes parameters for the terminal device to connect to the 5G base station.

[0087] S308, the terminal device sends RRC connection reconfiguration completion information to the 4G base station.

[0088] Exemplarily, the terminal device can establish a connection with the 5G base station according to the RRC connection reconfiguration information, that is, add the 5G base station as a secondary base station, thereby establishing a dual connection.

[0089] S309. After receiving the RRC connection reconfiguration completion information, the 4G base station sends the secondary base station reconfiguration completion (such as SgNB reconfiguration complete) information to the 5G base station; accordingly, the 5G base station receives the secondary base station reconfiguration completion information, and then completes the addition of the secondary base station.

[0090] (3) Switch

[0091] Handover is a process of a terminal device in RRC connected state, initiated by the network side, involving signaling interaction between the terminal device and the base station. For example, when the base station perceives that the signal strength of the terminal device in its own cell is gradually weakening, it can switch the terminal device to the cell of a base station with better signal strength (for example, a neighboring base station).

[0092] For the dual connection scenario, when the main base station providing services to the terminal device switches, the secondary base station can switch or remain unchanged. In the embodiment of the present application, the main base station that provides services to the terminal device before the switch is called the source main base station; after the switch, the main base station that provides services to the terminal device is called the target main base station. Similarly, before the switch, the secondary base station that provides services to the terminal device is called the source secondary base station; after the switch, the secondary base station that provides services to the terminal device is called the target secondary base station.

[0093] Taking the dual connection scenario of non-independent networking as an example, when the terminal device needs to switch from the source main base station to the target main base station, the first implementation method is that before the terminal device switches to the target main base station, the target main base station executes the addition of the target secondary base station, so that after the terminal device switches to the target main base station, the service on the secondary base station (such as 5G service) can be quickly restored, which is convenient for reducing the interruption time of 5G service. However, in this method, whether the target secondary base station is successfully added depends on whether the main base station is successfully switched. If the terminal device successfully switches to the target main base station, the target main base station can successfully add the target secondary base station; if the terminal device fails to successfully switch to the target main base station, it will also cause the target secondary base station to fail to be added, which will result in a high failure rate for adding the target secondary base station (but the failure to add the target secondary base station is caused by the failure of the main base station to switch, not by the target secondary base station itself).

[0094] The second implementation is that after the terminal device switches to the target primary base station, the source primary base station adds the target secondary base station. Since this method adds the secondary base station after the primary base station is normally switched, it is easy to ensure the success rate of adding the secondary base station. However, in this method, since the terminal device first releases the secondary base station when the primary base station is switched, the terminal device switches to the target primary base station and then uses the above method. Figure 3 The method shown adds a secondary base station (i.e., sending measurement configuration information to the terminal device, receiving measurement information of at least one 5G cell reported by the terminal device, and then selecting a secondary base station, and sending a secondary base station addition request information to the secondary base station), which will result in a longer interruption time for services on the secondary base station (such as 5G services).

[0095] Based on this, the present application embodiment will study the switching of terminal devices in the dual connection scenario. Exemplarily, the present application embodiment provides a communication method for improving the success rate of adding a target secondary base station while reducing the interruption duration of services on the secondary base station.

[0096] The technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below in combination with Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2.

[0097] Embodiment 1

[0098] Figure 4 This is a flow chart corresponding to the communication method provided in Example 1 of the present application, such as Figure 4 As shown, including:

[0099] S401, a source master base station sends measurement information of at least one cell to a target master base station; correspondingly, the target master base station receives and stores the measurement information of at least one cell.

[0100] Exemplarily, the measurement information of at least one cell may be reported by the terminal device to the source primary base station. For example, after the terminal device establishes a dual connection with the source primary base station and the source secondary base station, the source secondary base station may send measurement configuration information (such as measurement configuration information of A3 event and measurement configuration information of A4 event) to the source primary base station, and then the source primary base station sends the measurement configuration information to the terminal device; accordingly, the terminal device may measure the source secondary cell (i.e., the serving cell) of the terminal device and the neighboring cells of the source secondary cell according to the measurement configuration information, and report the measurement information of at least one cell to the source primary base station, at least one cell includes the source secondary cell of the terminal device and / or the neighboring cell of the source secondary cell, and at least one cell is a candidate cell of the target secondary cell. Taking cell 1 in at least one cell as an example, the measurement information of cell 1 may include at least one of reference signal receiving power (reference signal receiving power, RSRP), reference signal receiving quality (reference signal receiving quality, RSRQ), and signal to interference plus noise ratio (signal to interference plus noise ratio, SINR).

[0101] In an embodiment of the present application, the source main base station and the target main base station correspond to the first communication standard, and the target auxiliary base station (and the source auxiliary base station) correspond to the second communication standard. Taking the dual-connection scenario of non-independent networking as an example, the first communication standard is the communication standard adopted by the 4G communication system, and the second communication standard is the communication standard adopted by the 5G communication system, that is, the source main base station and the target main base station are 4G base stations, and the target auxiliary base station (and the source auxiliary base station) are 5G base stations. In this case, the cells in the main cell group are all 4G cells, and the cells in the auxiliary cell group are all 5G cells. For example, at least one of the above cells is a 5G cell.

[0102] Exemplarily, the source main base station may send measurement information of at least one cell to the target main base station after determining that the terminal needs to switch to the target main base station. As a possible implementation, the source main base station sends a handover request message to the target main base station, and the handover request message includes measurement information of at least one cell; for example, the handover request message includes an NR Neighbor Information IE field, which carries measurement information of at least one cell. As another possible implementation, the source main base station sends information a to the target main base station (information a is information other than the handover request information), and information a includes measurement information of at least one cell; for example, the source main base station may first send a handover request message to the target main base station, and then send information a to the target main base station. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the order in which the source main base station sends the handover request message and information a.

[0103] In addition, after receiving the switching request information, the target main base station can send a switching request confirmation information to the source main base station. The switching request confirmation information includes the second configuration information. The second configuration information includes parameters for the terminal device to switch to the target main base station, such as the SSB frequency point and beam information of the target main base station.

[0104] Accordingly, after receiving the handover request confirmation information, the source primary base station may send second information to the terminal device, the second information being used to instruct the terminal device to handover to the target primary base station, and the second information including second configuration information. For example, the second information may be RRC connection reconfiguration information.

[0105] Correspondingly, after receiving the second information, the terminal device can release the connection between the terminal device and the source main base station, and release the connection between the terminal device and the source auxiliary base station, and switch to the target main base station according to the second configuration information. For example, the terminal device can initiate a random access process to the target main base station according to the second configuration information to synchronize with the target main base station through the random access process; after the synchronization is completed, the terminal device can send a switching completion message to the target main base station. The switching completion message can be RRC connection reconfiguration completion information. For example, if the second configuration information includes beam information, the terminal device can select the corresponding beam according to the beam information and establish a connection with the target main base station.

[0106] S402: After the terminal device switches from the source primary base station to the target primary base station, the target primary base station sends secondary base station adding request information to the target secondary base station, where the secondary base station adding request information is used to add a secondary base station corresponding to the target primary base station.

[0107] Here, there are multiple implementations for the target main base station to determine that the terminal device switches from the source main base station to the target main base station. For example, after the target main base station receives the switching completion information from the terminal device, it can determine that the terminal device switches from the source main base station to the target main base station.

[0108] Exemplarily, the target primary base station may select a target secondary base station from base stations to which at least one cell belongs according to measurement information of at least one cell received from the source primary base station. Optionally, the target primary base station may also select a target secondary base station from base stations to which at least one cell belongs in combination with other information (such as a load of a base station to which at least one cell belongs).

[0109] For example, at least one cell includes cell 1 to cell 5, cell 1 and cell 2 belong to base station 1, cell 3 and cell 4 belong to base station 2, and cell 5 belongs to base station 3. For example, if the measurement information of cell 1 is better than the measurement information of the other four cells (for example, the RSRP of cell 1 is the largest), the target primary base station can select cell 1 as the target secondary cell, and select base station 1 as the target secondary base station. For another example, the target primary base station can first select a cell whose measurement information is higher than or equal to threshold 1 from cells 1 to cell 5, and then select a base station whose load is less than or equal to threshold 2 from the base stations to which the selected cells belong as the target secondary base station. Wherein, threshold 1 and threshold 2 can be pre-configured values.

[0110] The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific timing of the target primary base station selecting the target secondary base station. For example, the target primary base station can select the target secondary base station after receiving the measurement information of at least one cell, and send a secondary base station addition request information to the target secondary base station after the terminal device switches from the source primary base station to the target primary base station. In this way, after the terminal device switches from the source primary base station to the target primary base station, the target primary base station can immediately send a secondary base station addition request information to the target secondary base station, so as to facilitate the rapid addition of the secondary base station and reduce the interruption duration of the service on the secondary base station.

[0111] For another example, after receiving the measurement information of at least one cell, the target primary base station may not select the target secondary base station first, and after determining that the terminal device is switched from the source primary base station to the target primary base station, the target secondary base station is selected according to the stored measurement information of at least one cell, and a secondary base station addition request information is sent to the target secondary base station. In this way, considering that if the terminal device fails to switch to the target primary base station, the target primary base station does not need to perform the operation of adding the secondary base station, therefore, the target primary base station may perform the operation of selecting the target secondary base station after the terminal device switches from the source primary base station to the target primary base station.

[0112] Optionally, the above method further includes:

[0113] S403, the target secondary base station sends secondary base station adding request confirmation information to the target primary base station; correspondingly, the target primary base station receives the secondary base station adding request confirmation information.

[0114] Here, the secondary base station addition request confirmation information includes first configuration information, and the first configuration information includes parameters used for the terminal device to connect to the target secondary base station, such as the SSB frequency point and beam information of the target secondary base station.

[0115] S404, the target primary base station sends first information to the terminal device, where the first information is used to instruct the terminal device to connect to the target secondary base station.

[0116] Here, the first information may include first configuration information, and the first information may be RRC connection reconfiguration information.

[0117] S405: The terminal device establishes a connection with the target secondary base station according to the first information.

[0118] Therefore, the terminal device is connected to the target primary base station and the target secondary base station in a dual connection manner. The connection established between the terminal device and the target secondary base station may be a user plane connection, such as a 5G user plane connection.

[0119] It can be understood that the target secondary base station selected by the target primary base station may be the same base station as the source secondary base station, or may be a different base station, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0120] By adopting the above method, the source main base station first sends the measurement information of at least one cell to the target main base station, and after the terminal device switches from the source main base station to the target main base station, the target main base station then adds the target secondary base station, and the target secondary base station is selected according to the measurement information of at least one cell, so that the interruption time of the service on the secondary base station can be reduced while improving the success rate of adding the target secondary base station. Specifically, compared with the first implementation method, since in the above embodiment, the target main base station adds the target secondary base station after the terminal device switches from the source main base station to the target main base station, so that the success or failure of the main base station switching does not affect the success rate of adding the secondary base station, and avoids the problem of a high failure rate of adding the secondary base station due to the failure of the terminal device to switch to the target main base station; compared with the second implementation method, since in the above embodiment, the source main base station first sends the measurement information of at least one cell to the target main base station, so that after the terminal device switches from the source main base station to the target main base station, the target main base station does not need to send measurement configuration information to the terminal device, and the terminal device does not need to measure and report the measurement information of at least one cell according to the measurement configuration information, so as to facilitate reducing the interruption time of the service on the secondary base station.

[0121] In addition, it should be noted that:

[0122] (1) The above process is described by taking the successful handover of the terminal device from the source primary base station to the target primary base station as an example. In other examples, if the target primary base station determines that the terminal device has not been handed over from the source primary base station to the target primary base station (i.e., the handover has failed), the measurement information of at least one cell may be deleted.

[0123] There are multiple ways for the target primary base station to determine that the terminal device has not switched from the source primary base station to the target primary base station.

[0124] One possible way is that the target main base station receives the switching cancellation information from the source main base station, and determines that the terminal device has not switched from the source main base station to the target main base station based on the switching cancellation information. For example, when the terminal device has not switched from the source main base station to the target main base station, if the terminal device restores the RRC connection with the source main base station through the RRC re-establishment process, then when the source main base station receives the RRC re-establishment request of the terminal device, it can send a switching cancellation information to the target main base station. For another example, when the terminal device has not switched from the source main base station to the target main base station, if the terminal device has accessed other base stations (i.e., base stations other than the source main base station and the target main base station), the core network device can send UE context release information to the source main base station. After the source main base station receives the UE context release information from the core network device, it can send a switching cancellation information to the target main base station.

[0125] Another possible way is that if the target main base station does not receive the switching completion information from the terminal device within the preset time period 1, it is determined that the terminal device has not switched from the source main base station to the target main base station; wherein the starting time of the preset time period 1 may be the reception time of the measurement information of at least one cell or the reception time of the switching request information. For example, when the target main base station receives the measurement information (or switching request information) of at least one cell, a timer may be started. If the switching completion information is not received from the terminal device before the timer times out, it is determined that the terminal device has not switched from the source main base station to the target main base station; the duration of the timer is the duration of the preset time period 1, which may be pre-configured.

[0126] In addition, in other examples, when the terminal device does not switch from the source primary base station to the target primary base station, if the target primary base station does not receive the switching cancellation information from the source primary base station within the preset time period 2, the measurement information of at least one cell may also be deleted. The start time of the preset time period 2 may be the reception time of the measurement information of at least one cell or the reception time of the switching request information. The duration of the preset time period 2 may be pre-configured.

[0127] (2) In an embodiment of the present application, the target main base station may be pre-configured with "if the measurement information of at least one cell is received from the source main base station, the above S402 is executed". For example, a switch may be provided in the target main base station, and the state of the switch may be pre-configured by relevant personnel; when the state of the switch is "on", if the target main base station receives the measurement information of at least one cell from the source main base station, the above S402 is executed; when the state of the switch is "off", if the target main base station receives the measurement information of at least one cell from the source main base station, a request information for adding a secondary base station may be sent to the target secondary base station before the terminal device switches to the target main base station (i.e., the first implementation method described above). Exemplarily, the state of the switch may be manually set by relevant personnel. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific form of the switch and the specific method of pre-configuring the state.

[0128] Alternatively, if the target primary base station receives measurement information of at least one cell from the source primary base station, it can determine by itself whether to send the secondary base station addition request information to the target secondary base station after the terminal device switches from the source primary base station to the target primary base station, or to send the secondary base station addition request information to the target secondary base station before the terminal device switches from the source primary base station to the target primary base station. There can be multiple bases for the judgment, such as the basis for the judgment including the historical success rate of the target primary base station adding the target secondary base station and / or the historical success rate of switching from the source primary base station to the target primary base station.

[0129] The historical success rate of adding the target secondary base station to the target primary base station may be obtained by statistics of the target primary base station; for example, within a preset time period 3 (such as 24 hours), the target primary base station initiates 100 secondary base station addition requests to the target secondary base station (not limited to the terminal device targeted), if 90 of the additions are successful, the historical success rate of adding the target secondary base station to the target primary base station is 90%. The historical success rate of switching from the source primary base station to the target primary base station may be obtained by statistics of the source primary base station; for example, within a preset time period 3 (such as 24 hours), the source primary base station initiates 80 switching requests to the target primary base station (not limited to the terminal device targeted), if 60 of the switchings are successful, the historical success rate of switching from the source primary base station to the target primary base station is 75%. Exemplarily, the source primary base station may send the historical success rate of switching from the source primary base station to the target primary base station to the target primary base station, for example, the source primary base station may send the measurement information of at least one cell and the historical success rate of switching from the source primary base station to the target primary base station to the target primary base station through the same message (such as the switching request message); or it may be sent through different messages, which is not specifically limited.

[0130] For example, if the target primary base station determines that the preset condition is met, after the terminal device switches from the source primary base station to the target primary base station, the secondary base station addition request information is sent to the target secondary base station; the preset condition is met including at least one of the following:

[0131] ① The historical success rate of adding the target secondary base station to the target primary base station is greater than or equal to the threshold 3;

[0132] ② The historical success rate of switching from the source primary base station to the target primary base station is greater than or equal to the threshold 4;

[0133] ③ The product of the historical success rate of adding the target secondary base station to the target primary base station and the historical success rate of switching from the source primary base station to the target primary base station is greater than or equal to the threshold 5.

[0134] Exemplarily, the above threshold 3, threshold 4, or threshold 5 may be pre-configured.

[0135] For example, after the target primary base station receives the measurement information of at least one cell, it can select the target secondary base station from the base stations to which the at least one cell belongs. Further, the target primary base station can determine whether the historical success rate of the target primary base station adding the target secondary base station is greater than or equal to the threshold value 3; if the historical success rate of the target primary base station adding the target secondary base station is greater than or equal to the threshold value 3, then before the terminal device switches from the source primary base station to the target primary base station, a secondary base station adding request information can be sent to the target secondary base station (i.e., the first implementation method described above); if the historical success rate of the target primary base station adding the target secondary base station is less than the threshold value 3, then after the terminal device switches from the source primary base station to the target primary base station, a secondary base station adding request information can be sent to the target secondary base station (i.e., S402).

[0136] For another example, after receiving the measurement information of at least one cell, the target primary base station can select a target secondary base station from the base stations to which the at least one cell belongs. Further, the target primary base station can determine whether the product of the historical success rate of the target primary base station adding the target secondary base station and the historical success rate of switching from the source primary base station to the target primary base station is greater than or equal to a threshold value of 4; if the product is greater than or equal to the threshold value 4, the secondary base station adding request information can be sent to the target secondary base station before the terminal device switches from the source primary base station to the target primary base station (i.e., the first implementation method described above); if the product is less than the threshold value 4, the secondary base station adding request information can be sent to the target secondary base station after the terminal device switches from the source primary base station to the target primary base station (i.e., S402).

[0137] With the above method, the target primary base station determines which method to use to add the target secondary base station, which is more flexible. Taking the "historical success rate of adding the target secondary base station to the target primary base station" as an example, when the historical success rate of adding the target secondary base station to the target primary base station is greater than or equal to the threshold value 3, it means that the target primary base station has a high success rate in adding the target secondary base station. In this case, the target primary base station can send a secondary base station adding request information to the target secondary base station before the terminal device switches from the source primary base station to the target primary base station, so as to ensure the success rate of adding the secondary base station while reducing the interruption duration of the service on the secondary base station. When the historical success rate of adding the target secondary base station to the target primary base station is less than the threshold value 3, it means that the success rate of adding the target secondary base station to the target primary base station is low. In this case, the target primary base station can send a secondary base station adding request information to the target secondary base station after the terminal device switches from the source primary base station to the target primary base station, so as to ensure the success rate of adding the secondary base station.

[0138] Embodiment 2

[0139] In the second embodiment, a possible detailed process will be described based on the description of the first embodiment.

[0140] Figure 5 This is a flow chart corresponding to the communication method provided in Example 2 of the present application, such as Figure 5 As shown, the process includes:

[0141] S501, a source master base station sends a handover request message to a target master base station, where the handover request message includes measurement information of at least one cell; correspondingly, the target master base station receives the handover request message.

[0142] Here, the measurement information of at least one cell may be reported by the terminal device to the source primary base station.

[0143] S502, the target primary base station sends a switching request confirmation message to the source primary base station, where the switching request confirmation message includes second configuration information, and the second configuration information includes parameters for the terminal device to switch to the target primary base station.

[0144] S503, the source primary base station sends secondary base station release request information to the source secondary base station; correspondingly, the source secondary base station receives the secondary base station release request information.

[0145] Exemplarily, the secondary base station release request information is used to request the source secondary base station to stop sending data to the terminal equipment.

[0146] S504, the source secondary base station sends secondary base station release request confirmation information to the source primary base station; correspondingly, the source primary base station receives the secondary base station release request confirmation information.

[0147] S505, the source master base station sends second information (ie, RRC connection reconfiguration information) to the terminal device, where the RRC connection reconfiguration information is used to instruct the terminal device to switch to the target master base station.

[0148] Here, the RRC connection reconfiguration information includes the second configuration information. After receiving the RRC connection reconfiguration information, the terminal device may release the connection between the terminal device and the source primary base station, and release the connection between the terminal device and the source secondary base station.

[0149] S506, the terminal device initiates a random access process to the target primary base station.

[0150] Here, the terminal device may initiate a random access process to the target primary base station according to the second configuration information, so as to be synchronized with the target primary base station through the random access process.

[0151] S507, the terminal device sends a switching completion message (ie, RRC connection reconfiguration completion message) to the target primary base station; accordingly, after receiving the switching completion message, the target primary base station can determine that the terminal device has successfully switched to the target primary base station.

[0152] S508, the target master base station sends UE context release information to the source master base station, which is used to instruct the source master base station to release the context of the terminal device.

[0153] S509: The source primary base station sends UE context release information to the source secondary base station, to instruct the source secondary base station to release the context of the terminal device.

[0154] S510: The target primary base station sends secondary base station adding request information to the target secondary base station.

[0155] S511, the target secondary base station sends a secondary base station adding request confirmation message to the target primary base station, where the secondary base station adding request confirmation message includes first configuration information, and the first configuration information includes parameters for the terminal device to connect to the target secondary base station.

[0156] S512, the target primary base station sends first information (ie, RRC connection reconfiguration information) to the terminal device, where the RRC connection reconfiguration information includes first configuration information, and the RRC connection reconfiguration information is used to instruct the terminal device to connect to the target secondary base station.

[0157] S513, the terminal device sends RRC connection reconfiguration completion information to the target main base station.

[0158] Optionally, the terminal device may initiate a random access process to the target secondary base station. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific timing when the terminal device initiates the random access process to the target secondary base station.

[0159] S514, the target primary base station sends secondary base station reconfiguration completion information to the target secondary base station; accordingly, after receiving the secondary base station reconfiguration completion information, the target secondary base station may determine that the secondary base station is added successfully.

[0160] With respect to the above-mentioned Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2, it can be understood that:

[0161] (1) In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships. In addition, in the same embodiment, different implementations or different examples can also be referenced or referred to each other.

[0162] (2) The various numerical numbers involved in this application are only for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of this application. The step numbers of the above-mentioned flowcharts are only an example of the execution process and do not constitute a restriction on the order of execution of the steps. That is, the size of the step number does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each step should be determined by its function and internal logic. In addition, not all the steps shown in each flowchart are steps that must be executed. Some steps can be added or deleted based on each flowchart according to actual needs.

[0163] (3) The information in the embodiment of the present application may also be replaced by messages, for example, the RRC connection reconfiguration information may be replaced by an RRC connection reconfiguration message, the RRC connection reconfiguration complete information may be replaced by an RRC connection reconfiguration complete message, the secondary base station addition request information may be replaced by a secondary base station addition request message, and the secondary base station addition request confirmation information may be replaced by a secondary base station addition request confirmation message, which are not listed one by one.

[0164] The above mainly introduces the solution provided by the embodiment of the present application from the perspective of the interaction between the terminal device and the base station. It is understandable that in order to achieve the above functions, the terminal device and the base station may include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be easily appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the embodiments of 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 exceed the scope of the present application.

[0165] The embodiment of the present application can divide the terminal device and the base station into functional units according to the above method example. For example, each functional unit can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one unit. The above integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional unit.

[0166] In the case of an integrated unit, Figure 6 A possible exemplary block diagram of the device involved in the embodiments of the present application is shown. Figure 6 As shown, the apparatus 600 may include: a processing unit 602 and a communication unit 603. The processing unit 602 is used to control and manage the actions of the apparatus 600. The communication unit 603 is used to support the communication between the apparatus 600 and other devices. Optionally, the communication unit 603 is also called a transceiver unit, and may include a receiving unit and / or a sending unit, which are respectively used to perform receiving and sending operations. The apparatus 600 may also include a storage unit 601, which is used to store program codes and / or data of the apparatus 600.

[0167] (1) The device 600 may be the target primary base station in the above embodiment. The processing unit 602 may support the device 600 to execute the actions of the target primary base station in each method example above. Alternatively, the processing unit 602 mainly executes the internal actions of the target primary base station in the method example, and the communication unit 603 may support the communication between the device 600 and other devices.

[0168] For example, in one embodiment, the communication unit 603 is used to: receive measurement information of at least one cell from a source main base station; after the terminal device switches from the source main base station to the target main base station, send a secondary base station addition request information to the target secondary base station, and the target secondary base station is selected from the base stations to which the at least one cell belongs based on the measurement information of the at least one cell.

[0169] In one possible design, the communication unit 603 is also used to: receive a secondary base station adding request confirmation information from the target secondary base station, the secondary base station adding request confirmation information includes first configuration information, the first configuration information includes parameters for the terminal device to connect to the target secondary base station; send first information to the terminal device, the first information includes the first configuration information, and the first information is used to indicate that the terminal device connects to the target secondary base station.

[0170] In a possible design, the communication unit 603 is further used to: send second configuration information to the source main base station, where the second configuration information includes parameters for the terminal device to switch to the target main base station.

[0171] In a possible design, the communication unit 603 is specifically used to: receive switching request information from the source main base station, and the switching request information includes measurement information of the at least one cell.

[0172] In one possible design, the processing unit 602 is used to: when a preset condition is met, send a secondary base station addition request information to the target secondary base station through the communication unit 603; wherein, satisfying the preset condition includes at least one of the following: a historical success rate of the target main base station adding the target secondary base station is greater than or equal to a first threshold; a historical success rate of switching from the source main base station to the target main base station is greater than or equal to a second threshold; the product of the historical success rate of the target main base station adding the target secondary base station and the historical success rate of switching from the source main base station to the target main base station is greater than or equal to a third threshold.

[0173] In a possible design, the processing unit 602 is used to: if it is determined that the terminal device has not switched from the source main base station to the target main base station, delete the measurement information of the at least one cell.

[0174] In one possible design, the processing unit 602 is used to: after the communication unit 603 receives the switching cancellation information from the source main base station, determine, based on the switching cancellation information, that the terminal device has not switched from the source main base station to the target main base station; or, if no switching completion information is received from the terminal device within a preset time period, determine that the terminal device has not switched from the source main base station to the target main base station, and the start time of the preset time period is the reception time of the measurement information of the at least one cell.

[0175] (2) The apparatus 600 may be a terminal device in the above embodiment. The processing unit 602 may support the apparatus 600 to execute the actions of the terminal device in the above method examples. Alternatively, the processing unit 602 mainly executes the internal actions of the terminal device in the method examples, and the communication unit 603 may support the communication between the apparatus 600 and other devices.

[0176] For example, in one embodiment, the communication unit 603 is used to: send measurement information of at least one cell to a source main base station; receive second information from the source main base station, the second information being used to instruct the terminal device to switch to a target main base station; after switching to the target main base station according to the second information, receive first information from the target main base station, the first information being used to instruct the terminal device to establish a connection with a target secondary base station, the target secondary base station being selected from the base stations to which the at least one cell belongs according to the measurement information of the at least one cell; the processing unit 602 is used to: establish a connection with the target secondary base station according to the first information.

[0177] It should be understood that the division of the units in the above device is only a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into one physical entity, or they can be physically separated. And the units in the device can all be implemented in the form of software calling through processing elements; they can also be all implemented in the form of hardware; some units can also be implemented in the form of software calling through processing elements, and some units can be implemented in the form of hardware. For example, each unit can be a separately established processing element, or it can be integrated in a certain chip of the device. In addition, it can also be stored in the memory in the form of a program, and called and executed by a certain processing element of the device. The function of the unit. In addition, all or part of these units can be integrated together, or they can be implemented independently. The processing element described here can also be a processor, which can be an integrated circuit with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each operation of the above method or each unit above can be implemented by an integrated logic circuit of hardware in the processor element or in the form of software calling through a processing element.

[0178] In one example, the unit in any of the above devices may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above method, such as one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), or one or more digital singnal processors (DSP), or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms. For another example, when the unit in the device can be implemented in the form of a processing element scheduler, the processing element can be a processor, such as a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), or other processors that can call programs. For another example, these units can be integrated together and implemented in the form of a SoC.

[0179] The above unit for receiving is an interface circuit of the device, which is used to receive signals from other devices. For example, when the device is implemented in the form of a chip, the receiving unit is an interface circuit of the chip used to receive signals from other chips or devices. The above unit for sending is an interface circuit of the device, which is used to send signals to other devices. For example, when the device is implemented in the form of a chip, the sending unit is an interface circuit of the chip used to send signals to other chips or devices.

[0180] Based on the above embodiments, the present application also provides a communication device, referring to Figure 7As shown, the communication device 700 may include a processor 702. Optionally, the communication device 700 further includes a memory 703. Optionally, the communication device 700 further includes a transceiver 701. The memory 703 may be disposed inside the communication device 700 or outside the communication device 700. The processor 702 may control the transceiver 701 to receive and send information, etc.

[0181] Specifically, the processor 702 may be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP) or a combination of a CPU and a NP. The processor 702 may further include a hardware chip. The hardware chip may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD) or a combination thereof. The PLD may be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL) or any combination thereof.

[0182] The transceiver 701, the processor 702 and the memory 703 are interconnected. Optionally, the transceiver 701, the processor 702 and the memory 703 are interconnected via a bus 704; the bus 704 may be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus. The bus may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Figure 7 Only one thick line is used in the diagram, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0183] In an optional implementation, the memory 703 is used to store programs, etc. Specifically, the program may include a program code, and the program code includes a computer operation instruction. The memory 703 may include a RAM, and may also include a non-volatile memory (non-volatile memory), such as one or more disk memories. The processor 702 executes the application stored in the memory 703 to implement the above functions, thereby realizing the functions of the communication device 700.

[0184] Exemplarily, the communication device 700 may be the transmitting end (such as a terminal device) in the above embodiment; or may be the receiving end (such as a network device) in the above embodiment.

[0185] In one embodiment, when the communication device 700 implements the function of the transmitting end in the above method embodiment, the transceiver 701 can implement the transceiver operation performed by the transmitting end in the above method embodiment; the processor 702 can implement other operations except the transceiver operation performed by the transmitting end in the above method embodiment. For specific related descriptions, please refer to the related descriptions in the above embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0186] In another embodiment, when the communication device 700 implements the function of the receiving end in the above method embodiment, the transceiver 701 can implement the transceiver operation performed by the receiving end in the above method embodiment; the processor 702 can implement other operations except the transceiver operation performed by the receiving end in the above method embodiment. For specific related descriptions, please refer to the related descriptions in the above embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0187] In addition, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, which includes at least one of a terminal device, a source primary base station, a source secondary base station, a target primary base station, and a target secondary base station.

[0188] The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of the present application can be used interchangeably. "At least one" refers to one or more, and "multiple" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist, for example, A and / or B, which can represent: the existence of A alone, the existence of A and B at the same time, and the existence of B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following (individuals)" or similar expressions thereof refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items (individuals) or plural items (individuals). For example, "at least one of A, B and C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC. And, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish multiple objects, and are not used to limit the order, timing, priority or importance of multiple objects.

[0189] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application may adopt the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment in combination with software and hardware. Moreover, the present application may adopt the form of a computer program product implemented in one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) that include computer-usable program code.

[0190] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the present application. It should be understood that each process and / or box in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the processes and / or boxes in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate instructions for implementing the processes in the flowchart and / or block diagram. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in a block or multiple blocks.

[0191] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory capable of directing a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture comprising an instruction device, which implements the process Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A function specified in one or more boxes.

[0192] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions for implementing the process in the computer or other programmable device. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps for the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0193] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: receiving measurement information of at least one cell from a source primary base station; After the terminal device switches from the source main base station to the target main base station, a secondary base station addition request message is sent to the target secondary base station, where the secondary base station addition request message is used to add a secondary base station corresponding to the target main base station, and the target secondary base station is selected from the base stations to which the at least one cell belongs according to the measurement information of the at least one cell.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving a secondary base station adding request confirmation message from the target secondary base station, where the secondary base station adding request confirmation message includes first configuration information, and the first configuration information includes parameters for the terminal device to connect to the target secondary base station; Sending first information to the terminal device, where the first information includes the first configuration information, and the first information is used to instruct the terminal device to establish a connection with the target secondary base station.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Sending second configuration information to the source main base station, where the second configuration information includes parameters for the terminal device to switch to the target main base station.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that Receiving measurement information of at least one cell from a source primary base station, including: Receive handover request information from the source primary base station, where the handover request information is used to request handover of the terminal device to the target primary base station, and the handover request information includes measurement information of the at least one cell.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that After the terminal device switches from the source primary base station to the target primary base station, sending secondary base station adding request information to the target secondary base station includes: After the terminal device switches from the source primary base station to the target primary base station, if a preset condition is met, sending a secondary base station adding request information to the target secondary base station; Among them, satisfying the preset conditions includes at least one of the following: A historical success rate of adding the target secondary base station to the target primary base station is greater than or equal to a first threshold; A historical success rate of switching from the source primary base station to the target primary base station is greater than or equal to a second threshold; A product of a historical success rate of the target primary base station adding the target secondary base station and a historical success rate of switching from the source primary base station to the target primary base station is greater than or equal to a third threshold.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The source primary base station and the target primary base station correspond to a first communication standard, and the target secondary base station corresponds to a second communication standard.

7. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Sending measurement information of at least one cell to the source primary base station; After the terminal device switches from the source primary base station to the target primary base station, receiving first information from the target primary base station, where the first information is used to instruct the terminal device to establish a connection with a target secondary base station, where the target secondary base station is selected from base stations to which the at least one cell belongs according to measurement information of the at least one cell; Establishing a connection with the target secondary base station according to the first information.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The source primary base station and the target primary base station correspond to a first communication standard, and the target secondary base station corresponds to a second communication standard.

9. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: The terminal device sends measurement information of at least one cell to the source primary base station; After receiving the measurement information of the at least one cell, the source primary base station sends the measurement information of the at least one cell to the target primary base station; After the terminal device switches from the source main base station to the target main base station, the target main base station sends a secondary base station addition request information to the target secondary base station, where the secondary base station addition request information is used to add a secondary base station corresponding to the target main base station, and the target secondary base station is selected from the base stations to which the at least one cell belongs according to the measurement information of the at least one cell.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The method further comprises: The target secondary base station sends a secondary base station adding request confirmation message to the target primary base station, where the secondary base station adding request confirmation message includes first configuration information, and the first configuration information includes parameters for the terminal device to connect to the target secondary base station; The target primary base station receives the first configuration information, and sends first information to the terminal device, where the first information includes the first configuration information, and the first information is used to instruct the terminal device to connect to the target secondary base station; The terminal device establishes a connection with the target secondary base station according to the first information.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The target primary base station sends second configuration information to the source primary base station, where the second configuration information includes parameters for the terminal device to switch to the target primary base station; The source primary base station receives the second configuration information, and sends second information to the terminal device, where the second information is used to instruct the terminal device to switch to the target primary base station, and the second information includes the second configuration information; The terminal device receives the second information, and switches to the target primary base station according to the second information.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that After the terminal device switches from the source primary base station to the target primary base station, if the target primary base station determines that the preset condition is met, the target primary base station sends a secondary base station adding request information to the target secondary base station; Among them, satisfying the preset conditions includes at least one of the following: A historical success rate of adding the target secondary base station to the target primary base station is greater than or equal to a first threshold; A historical success rate of switching from the source primary base station to the target primary base station is greater than or equal to a second threshold; A product of a historical success rate of the target primary base station adding the target secondary base station and a historical success rate of switching from the source primary base station to the target primary base station is greater than or equal to a third threshold.

13. A communication system, characterized in that: The system includes a source master base station and a target master base station; The source primary base station is used to send measurement information of at least one cell to the target primary base station; The target primary base station is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

14. The system according to claim 13, characterized in that The system further comprises a terminal device, wherein the terminal device is configured to execute the method according to claim 7 or 8.

15. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising modules for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8.

16. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor coupled to a memory, wherein a computer program is stored in the memory; the processor is used to call part or all of the computer program in the memory so that the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is executed.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium stores a computer program, and when part or all of the computer program is executed by a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is executed.

18. A computer program product, characterized in that When a computer reads and executes the computer program product, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is executed.

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