Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and device. The method comprises: receiving a configuration message, the configuration message comprising configuration parameters of one or more cells, the cells comprising a first cell, the first cell being a cell only having an uplink receiving capability; a first cell sends a first signal at a first moment, the first moment is related to a first downlink timing, the first downlink timing is a downlink timing of a second cell associated with the first cell, and the second cell is a cell having an uplink receiving capability and a downlink receiving capability; a first response message of a first cell is received through a second cell, wherein the first response message comprises a first timing advance (TA) value of the first cell. Through the downlink timing based on the second cell, the first TA value of the first cell can be obtained, so that the terminal device can communicate with the network device through the first cell based on the first TA value, and the communication efficiency is further improved.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In a wireless communication system, in order to ensure that the time when the data sent by the terminal device arrives at the network device coincides with the uplink time slot of the network device, the network device can usually calculate the timing advance (TA) value and send the TA value to the terminal device, so that the terminal device can send signals or messages based on the TA value. Since the uplink and downlink coverage of the network device may be unbalanced (generally speaking, the downlink coverage is better than the uplink coverage), some network devices with uplink receiving function but not downlink sending function can be deployed to make up for the uplink coverage.

[0003] For such network devices that have an uplink receiving function but not a downlink sending function, the terminal device also needs to determine the TA value corresponding to the network device when performing uplink transmission to it. However, since such network devices do not have a downlink sending function, the TA value cannot be sent to the terminal device, resulting in the data sent by the terminal device arriving at the network device at a time that does not coincide with the uplink time slot of the network device, resulting in low data transmission efficiency. Therefore, how to improve data transmission efficiency is a problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus to enable a terminal device to obtain a timing advance TA value, thereby facilitating the terminal device to perform uplink and downlink communications with a network device based on the TA value, thereby improving the efficiency of data transmission.

[0005] On the first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a terminal device, or can also be executed by a component configured in the terminal device (such as a chip, a chip system, etc.), or can also be implemented by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The present application does not limit this.

[0006] Exemplarily, the method includes: receiving a configuration message including configuration parameters of one or more cells, the cells including a first cell, the first cell being a cell having only uplink reception capability; sending a first signal at a first moment through the first cell, the first moment being related to a first downlink timing, the first downlink timing being the downlink timing of a second cell associated with the first cell, the second cell being a cell having both uplink reception capability and downlink reception capability; receiving a first response message through the second cell, the first response message including a first timing advance TA value of the first cell.

[0007] In the above technical solution, the terminal device can determine one or more cells (first cells) that only have uplink reception capability configured by the network device for the terminal device through the received configuration message. In order to obtain the first TA value of the first cell, the terminal device can send a first signal to the network device based on the first moment related to the first downlink timing. The first TA value is determined based on the second moment, thereby affecting the time when the network device receives the second moment of the first signal. In other words, the first TA value is indirectly determined based on the first moment and the first downlink timing. After the terminal device receives the first TA value of the first cell sent by the network device, it can determine the time when the terminal device sends data based on the first TA value. For example, in subsequent uplink transmissions, based on the start time of the uplink time slot of the terminal device, the uplink signal can be sent in advance of the first TA value, so as to ensure that the time when the uplink signal arrives at the first cell coincides with the start time of the uplink time slot of the first cell, thereby improving communication efficiency.

[0008] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, the first cell is a cell that satisfies one or more of the following: the cell is not configured with a downlink bandwidth part; the cell is not configured with a physical downlink shared channel parameter; the cell is not configured with a physical downlink control channel parameter; the cell is not configured with a channel state information measurement parameter; the cell is not configured with an uplink and downlink frame structure parameter; the cell is configured with an associated second cell.

[0009] In the above technical solution, by determining whether the above parameters are configured in the configuration parameters of the first cell, it is possible to implicitly determine whether the cell is the first cell without using specific parameters to indicate whether the cell is the first cell, thereby reducing the amount of data transmitted and reducing the waste of transmission resources.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, for any cell among one or more cells, if the configuration parameters of any cell include a first parameter, then the any cell is the first cell; or, if the value of the first parameter in the configuration parameters of the any cell is a first value, then the any cell is the first cell.

[0011] In the above technical solution, the first parameter explicitly indicates whether the cell is the first cell. Therefore, whether the cell is the first cell can be directly determined by the first parameter, thereby eliminating the need to judge whether the cell is the first cell and improving data processing speed.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, the cell also includes one or more second cells, the configuration message includes an association relationship between the first cell and the second cell, and the second cell associated with the first cell is determined according to the association relationship.

[0013] In the above technical solution, the cell includes the second cell, and the configuration message includes the association relationship between the first cell and the second cell, so that the association relationship between the first cell and the second cell can be directly obtained, thereby improving data processing speed.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, the cell also includes one or more second cells, and the second cell associated with the first cell is the first second cell / the last second cell / the second cell with the smallest identifier / the second cell with the largest identifier among the one or more second cells.

[0015] In the above technical solution, the cell includes the second cell, but does not include the association relationship between the first cell and the second cell, which can reduce the amount of transmitted data and reduce the waste of transmission resources.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, the second cell associated with the first cell is the main cell in the cell group to which the first cell belongs; or, the second cell associated with the first cell is the first second cell / the last second cell / the second cell with the smallest identifier / the second cell with the largest identifier in the cell group or the timing advance group to which the first cell belongs.

[0017] In the above technical solution, the second cell associated with the first cell is obtained through some specific rules: for example, the second cell associated with the first cell is the main cell in the cell group to which the first cell belongs; for example, the second cell associated with the first cell is the first second cell / the last second cell / the second cell with the smallest identifier / the second cell with the largest identifier in the cell group or the timing advance group to which the first cell belongs.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, the first response message also includes an index of the first cell, or an index of a timing advance group to which the first cell belongs.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, the method also includes: receiving a timing update message, the timing update message including a TA update value corresponding to a second cell associated with the first cell; and updating the first TA value of the first cell based on the TA update value corresponding to the second cell associated with the first cell.

[0020] Since the communication delay between the terminal device and the network device may change (for example, the terminal device moves), the TA value of the cell may also change. In the above technical solution, the first TA value of the first cell can be updated by receiving a timing update message including a TA update value corresponding to a second cell associated with the first cell.

[0021] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations of the first aspect, the timing update message further includes an index of a second cell associated with the first cell, or an index of a timing advance group to which the second cell associated with the first cell belongs.

[0022] On the second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a network device, or by a component configured in the network device (such as a chip, a chip system, etc.), or by a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the network device. The present application does not limit this.

[0023] Exemplarily, the method includes: sending a configuration message including configuration parameters of one or more cells, the cells including a first cell, the first cell being a cell having only uplink reception capability; receiving at a second moment a first signal sent by a terminal device at a first moment, the first moment being related to a first downlink timing, the first downlink timing being a downlink timing of a second cell associated with the first cell, the second cell being a cell having both uplink reception capability and downlink transmission capability; determining a first timing advance TA value of the first cell based on the uplink timing of the first cell and the second moment; and sending a first response message through the second cell, the first response message including a first TA value of the first cell.

[0024] In the above technical solution, the network device can configure the terminal device by sending a configuration message. For example, a cell (first cell) with only uplink receiving capability is configured for the terminal device. In order to obtain the first TA value of the first cell, the network device can receive a first signal sent by the terminal device based on the first moment related to the first downlink timing at a second moment. The first TA value is determined based on the second moment. After receiving the first signal, the network device can determine the first TA value of the first cell based on the second moment and the uplink timing corresponding to the first cell, and send the first TA to the terminal device through the second cell with downlink sending capability. As a result, the terminal device obtains the first TA value of the first cell with only uplink receiving capability, so that the terminal device can determine the time when the terminal device sends data based on the first TA value so that the time when the data sent by the terminal device arrives at the first cell coincides with the start time of the uplink time slot of the first cell, thereby improving communication efficiency.

[0025] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, the first cell is a cell that satisfies one or more of the following: the cell is not configured with a downlink bandwidth part; the cell is not configured with a physical downlink shared channel parameter; the cell is not configured with a physical downlink control channel parameter; the cell is not configured with a channel state information measurement parameter; the cell is not configured with an uplink and downlink frame structure parameter; the cell is configured with an associated second cell.

[0026] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, for any cell among one or more cells, if the configuration parameters of any cell include a first parameter, then the any cell is the first cell; or, if the value of the first parameter in the configuration parameters of the any cell is a first value, then the any cell is the first cell.

[0027] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, the cell also includes one or more second cells, the configuration message includes an association relationship between the first cell and the second cell, and the second cell associated with the first cell is determined according to the association relationship.

[0028] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, the cell also includes one or more second cells, and the second cell associated with the first cell is the first second cell / the last second cell / the second cell with the smallest identifier / the second cell with the largest identifier among the one or more second cells.

[0029] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, the second cell associated with the first cell is the main cell in the cell group to which the first cell belongs; or, the second cell associated with the first cell is the first second cell / the last second cell / the second cell with the smallest identifier / the second cell with the largest identifier in the cell group or the timing advance group to which the first cell belongs.

[0030] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, the first response message also includes an index of the first cell, or an index of a timing advance group to which the first cell belongs.

[0031] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending a timing update message, where the timing update message includes a TA update value corresponding to a second cell associated with the first cell.

[0032] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible implementations of the second aspect, the timing update message further includes an index of a second cell associated with the first cell, or an index of a timing advance group to which the second cell associated with the first cell belongs.

[0033] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication device that can implement the method described in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect, or implement the method described in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect. The device includes corresponding units for executing the above methods. The units included in the device can be implemented by software and / or hardware.

[0034] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, the device comprising a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and can be used to execute a computer program in the memory to implement the method in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect, or to implement the method in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0035] Optionally, the device further comprises a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface. The communication interface is used to receive a signal from other communication devices outside the device and transmit it to the processor, or send a signal from the processor to other communication devices outside the device. Exemplarily, the communication interface can be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module or other type of communication interface.

[0036] Optionally, the device further comprises a memory, and the processor is coupled to the memory. The memory is used to store program instructions and data.

[0037] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed, it implements the method in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect, or implements the method in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0038] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed, implement the method in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect, or implement the method in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0039] In the seventh aspect, the present application provides a chip system, which includes at least one processor for supporting the implementation of the functions involved in the above-mentioned first aspect and any possible implementation method of the first aspect, or for supporting the implementation of the functions involved in the above-mentioned second aspect and any possible implementation method of the second aspect, for example, receiving or processing the data involved in the above-mentioned method, etc.

[0040] In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory, which is used to store program instructions and data, and the memory is located inside or outside the processor.

[0041] The chip system may be composed of the chip, or may include the chip and other discrete devices.

[0042] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, comprising a terminal device for implementing the method described in the first aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect, and a network device for implementing the method described in the second aspect and any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0043] It should be understood that the third to eighth aspects of the present application correspond to the technical solutions of the first and second aspects of the present application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation methods are similar and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] Figure 1 is a possible, non-limiting system schematic diagram provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 2a This is a schematic diagram of a downlink time slot provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 2b This is a schematic diagram of an uplink time slot provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a timing advance value provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the system architecture of the communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application performing communication;

[0050] Figure 6 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] Figure 7 It is a timing diagram provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] Figure 8 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 80 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] Fig. 9 is another schematic block diagram of a communication device 800 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] Fig.10 It is a structural diagram of the terminal device 1000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] The technical solution in this application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0056] The technical solution provided by this application can be applied to various communication systems.

[0057] Figure 1 This is a possible, non-limiting system diagram provided by the embodiment of the present application. Figure 1As shown, the communication system 10 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (e.g. Figure 1 110a and 110b, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (such as Figure 1 RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment ( Figure 1 The terminal 120 is connected to the RAN node 110 in a wireless manner. The RAN node 110 is connected to the core network 200 in a wireless or wired manner. The core network device in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 may be different physical devices, or may be the same physical device that integrates the core network logical function and the radio access network logical function.

[0058] RAN 100 may be a cellular system related to the third generation partnership project (3GPP), for example, a 4G, 5G mobile communication system, or a future evolution system (for example, a 6G mobile communication system). RAN 100 may also be an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (cloud radio access network, CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (wireless fidelity, WiFi) system. RAN 100 may also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0059] The RAN node 110, which may also be sometimes referred to as a network device, an access network device, a RAN entity or an access node, constitutes a part of the communication system to help the terminal achieve wireless access. The multiple RAN nodes 110 in the communication system 10 may be nodes of the same type or nodes of different types. In some scenarios, the roles of the RAN node 110 and the terminal 120 are relative, for example, Figure 1 The network element 120i may be a helicopter or a drone, which may be configured as a mobile base station. For the terminals 120j that access the RAN 100 through the network element 120i, the network element 120i is a base station; but for the base station 110a, the network element 120i is a terminal. The RAN node 110 and the terminal 120 are sometimes referred to as communication devices, for example Figure 1 The network elements 110a and 110b may be understood as communication devices having base station functions, and the network elements 120a-120j may be understood as communication devices having terminal functions.

[0060] In one possible scenario, a RAN node may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a next generation base station in a sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. A RAN node may be a macro base station (e.g. Figure 1 110a in), micro base stations or indoor stations (such as Figure 1 110b in the example above), a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the RAN node may also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or an onboard device, etc. For example, the access network device in the vehicle to everything (V2X) technology may be a road side unit (RSU).

[0061] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set separately, or can also be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU) or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0062] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU are described as examples in this application. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0063] The terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. The terminal can be widely used in various scenarios, for example, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a wearable device, a vehicle, a drone, a helicopter, an airplane, a ship, a robot, a robotic arm, a smart home device, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the device form of the terminal.

[0064] In wireless communication systems, uplink and downlink transmissions use time slots as the basic time unit, that is, data is transmitted once in each time slot. The start time of the time slot of the network device is fixed, and the uplink time slot and the downlink time slot are aligned. The time slot of the terminal device is not aligned with the time slot of the network device. Figure 2a As shown, Figure 2a This is a schematic diagram of a downlink time slot provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2a In the case of downlink transmission, the downlink time slot of the terminal device is later than that of the network device. This is mainly because the data sent by the network device in the downlink transmission needs a certain propagation delay to reach the terminal device. Figure 2b As shown, Figure 2b This is a schematic diagram of an uplink time slot provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2b In the process, the uplink time slot of the network device is later than the uplink time slot of the terminal device, because the data sent by the terminal device in the uplink transmission requires a certain propagation delay to reach the network device.

[0065] Based on the above time relationship, in order to ensure that the time when the data sent by the terminal device arrives at the network device coincides with the uplink time slot of the network device to improve communication efficiency, the network device can usually calculate the timing advance (TA) value and send the TA value to the terminal device, so that the terminal device can send signals or messages based on the TA value. Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a timing advance value provided in an embodiment of the present application. The signal propagation delay between the network device and the terminal device is T. The signal sent by the network device at time t is not received on the terminal device side until t+T, so the downlink time slot start time of the terminal device is later than the downlink time slot start time of the network device by time T. On the other hand, since the signal propagation delay between the network device and the terminal device is T, the signal sent by the terminal device at time tT is not received on the network device side until t, so the uplink time slot start time of the terminal device is earlier than the uplink time slot start time of the network device by time T. Therefore, the uplink time slot start time of the terminal device must be 2T earlier than the downlink time slot start time of the terminal device to ensure that the arrival time of the data sent by the terminal device is consistent with the uplink time slot start time of the network device. The time difference between the uplink time slot start time and the downlink time slot start time (i.e., 2T) is also called the timing advance (TA) value. For downlink transmission, the terminal device determines the downlink time slot start time by measuring the downlink pilot signal, and receives the downlink signal according to the downlink time slot start time. For uplink transmission, the terminal device needs to determine the TA value, and determine the uplink time slot start time (ie, downlink time slot start time - TA value) based on the TA value and the downlink time slot start time, so as to send the uplink signal.

[0066] Since the uplink and downlink coverage of network devices may be unbalanced (generally speaking, downlink coverage is better than uplink coverage), some network devices with uplink receiving functions but not downlink sending functions can be deployed to make up for the uplink coverage.

[0067] For such network devices that have an uplink receiving function but not a downlink sending function, the terminal device also needs to determine the TA value corresponding to the network device when performing uplink transmission to it. However, since such network devices do not have a downlink sending function, the TA value cannot be sent to the terminal device, resulting in the data sent by the terminal device arriving at the network device at a time that does not coincide with the uplink time slot of the network device, resulting in low data transmission efficiency. Therefore, how to improve data transmission efficiency is a problem that needs to be solved.

[0068] To facilitate understanding of the beam measurement method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the system architecture of the beam measurement method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described below. It is understandable that the system architecture described in the embodiment of the present application is to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0069] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the system architecture of the communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0070] like Figure 4 As shown in a), the communication system includes one or more network devices (one network device is taken as an example in the figure) and one or more terminal devices (two terminal devices are taken as an example in the figure). It can be seen that one network device can transmit data or control signaling to one or more terminal devices.

[0071] like Figure 4 As shown in b), the communication system includes one or more network devices (three network devices are taken as an example in the figure) and one or more terminal devices (one terminal device is taken as an example in the figure). It can be seen that multiple network devices can transmit data or control signaling to one terminal device.

[0072] Figure 4 a) and Figure 4 In the communication system shown in b), the terminal device can be mobile or fixed. The network device can be a micro base station, or a TRP or other type of network device, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The network device can provide communication coverage for a specific geographical area, and can communicate with the terminal device located in the coverage area (cell) through a wireless link.

[0073] Optionally, the communication system shown in the communication system may include more network devices, and the coverage area of ​​each network device may include other numbers of terminal devices, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0074] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of communication performed by a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0075] like Figure 5As shown, the terminal device 10 logically includes multiple parts, for example, a processor 101, a memory 102, and a transceiver 103, and the transceiver 103 includes a transmitter 1031, a receiver 1032, and an antenna 1033. The network device 20 logically includes multiple parts, for example, a processor 201, a memory 202, and a transceiver 203, and the transceiver 203 includes a transmitter 2031, a receiver 2032, and an antenna 2033. The receiver 1032 can be used to receive information sent by the network device 20 through the antenna 1033, and the transmitter 1031 can be used to send information to the network device 20 through the antenna 1033. The transmitter 2031 can be used to send information to the terminal device 10 through the antenna 2033, and the receiver 2032 can be used to receive information sent by the terminal device 10 through the antenna 2033.

[0076] The following will be combined Figure 6 The communication method provided by the present application is described in detail.

[0077] Figure 6 It is a schematic flow chart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 6 The method shown may include steps S610 to S640.

[0078] Step S610: The network device sends a configuration message to the terminal device. For example, the network device may be a second network device. The second network device may be a network device with uplink receiving capability and downlink sending capability. Or, in other words, the cell corresponding to the second network device is a cell with uplink receiving capability and downlink sending capability.

[0079] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the configuration message.

[0080] In a possible implementation manner, the configuration message may be a radio resource control (Radio resource control, RRC) message.

[0081] The configuration message includes configuration parameters of one or more cells. The one or more cells include a first cell. The first cell is a cell that only has uplink reception capability. That is to say, the first cell can receive messages sent by the terminal device, but cannot send messages to the terminal device. It can be stipulated that the first cell can only be used as a secondary cell and cannot be used as a primary cell. The network device configures at most M first cells for the terminal device, where M may be specified by the protocol or may be reported by the terminal device to the network device. If the terminal device reports M=0, it means that the terminal device does not support the first cell.

[0082] The terminal device needs to determine whether a cell is the first cell, and can use any of the following methods.

[0083] In a possible implementation manner, the first cell is a cell that satisfies one or more of the following conditions:

[0084] There is no downlink bandwidth part (BWP) in the cell configuration parameters;

[0085] There is no physical downlink sharing channel (PDSCH) parameter in the cell configuration parameters;

[0086] There are no physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) parameters in the cell configuration parameters;

[0087] There is no channel state information (CSI) measurement parameter in the cell configuration parameters;

[0088] There are no uplink and downlink frame structure parameters in the cell configuration parameters;

[0089] The configuration parameters of a cell include a second cell associated with the cell. The second cell is a cell with downlink transmission capability. The terminal device can determine the uplink timing of the first cell associated with the second cell through the downlink timing of the second cell. Alternatively, the terminal device can perform uplink transmission in the first cell associated with the second cell through the downlink timing of the second cell.

[0090] That is to say, the terminal device can determine whether the cell is the first cell by whether the configuration parameters of the cell meet one or more of the above items.

[0091] In one example, if there is no downlink bandwidth part in the configuration parameters of a cell, the terminal device determines that the cell is the first cell. Alternatively, if there is no physical downlink control channel parameter in the configuration parameters of a cell, the terminal device determines that the cell is the first cell. Alternatively, if there is no CSI measurement parameter in the configuration parameters of a cell, the terminal device determines that the cell is the first cell. Alternatively, if there is no uplink and downlink frame structure parameter in the configuration parameters of a cell, the terminal device determines that the cell is the first cell. Alternatively, if there is no uplink and downlink frame structure parameter in the configuration parameters of a cell, the terminal device determines that the cell is the first cell. Alternatively, if the configuration parameters of a cell include a second cell associated with the cell, the terminal device determines that the cell is the first cell.

[0092] Among them, the PDSCH parameter may be a PDSCH-related parameter, the PDCCH parameter may be a PDCCH-related parameter, and the CSI measurement parameter may be a CSI measurement-related parameter.

[0093] Alternatively, it can be said that, in a possible implementation manner, the first cell is a cell that satisfies one or more of the following conditions:

[0094] The cell is not configured with downlink bandwidth;

[0095] The cell is not configured with physical downlink shared channel parameters;

[0096] The cell is not configured with physical downlink control channel parameters;

[0097] The cell is not configured with channel state information measurement parameters;

[0098] The cell is not configured with uplink and downlink frame structure parameters;

[0099] The second cell associated with the cell configuration.

[0100] In one example, if there is a cell that does not configure physical downlink shared channel parameters and does not configure physical downlink control channel parameters, the terminal device determines that the cell is the first cell. If there is a cell that configures physical downlink shared channel parameters or configures physical downlink control channel parameters, the terminal device determines that the cell is not the first cell. In another example, when judging whether a cell is the first cell by whether a channel state information measurement parameter is configured, if there is a cell that does not configure the channel state information measurement parameter, the terminal device determines that the cell is the first cell. If there is a cell that configures the channel state information measurement parameter, the terminal device determines that the cell is not the first cell. In a possible implementation, for any cell in one or more cells, if the configuration parameters corresponding to any cell include a first parameter, then any cell is the first cell; or, if the value of the first parameter in the configuration parameters of any cell is the first value, then any cell is the first cell.

[0101] That is to say, the terminal device can determine whether the cell is the first cell according to whether the configuration parameters of the cell include the first parameter, or whether the included first parameter is the first value.

[0102] In one example, when determining whether a cell is a first cell based on whether the configuration parameters of the cell include a first parameter, if the configuration parameters of the cell include the first parameter, the terminal device determines that the cell is a first cell. If the configuration parameters of the cell do not include the first parameter, the terminal device determines that the cell is not a first cell.

[0103] In another example, when determining whether a cell is a first cell based on whether a first parameter in a configuration parameter of the cell is a first value, if the value of the first parameter in the configuration parameter of the cell is the first value, the terminal device determines that the cell is the first cell. If the value of the first parameter in the configuration parameter of the cell is not the first value, for example, the second value, the terminal device determines that the cell is not the first cell.

[0104] In addition to the first cell, the one or more cells also include a second cell. A first cell and a second cell can be associated. The second cell associated with the first cell can be configured through the above configuration information. The second cell associated with the first cell can also be determined by the first rule. For example, a second cell associated with a first cell is the main cell corresponding to the first cell, that is, the main cell in the cell group to which the first cell belongs. For another example, a second cell associated with a first cell is the first / last / second cell with the smallest IDentity (ID) / largest ID among all second cells configured in the terminal device. For another example, a second cell associated with a first cell is the first / last / smallest ID / largest ID in the cell group or timing advance group to which the first cell belongs. A timing advance group refers to a group of cells that use the same timing.

[0105] Step S620: The terminal device sends a first signal to the network device through the first cell at the first moment.

[0106] For example, the network device may be a first network device. Accordingly, the first network device receives a first signal sent by the terminal device through the first cell at a first moment. The first network device may be a network device having only uplink receiving capability. It can also be said that the cell corresponding to the first network device is a cell having only uplink receiving capability, that is, the first cell.

[0107] Among them, the first moment is related to the first downlink timing, and the first downlink timing is the downlink timing of the second cell associated with the first cell. The downlink timing may refer to the starting moment of the downlink time slot. It may also specifically refer to the starting moment of the downlink time slot corresponding to the terminal device. Alternatively, it may be the starting moment when the terminal device receives a signal in a time slot. The first downlink timing is determined by the downlink reference signal of the first cell. The first downlink timing may also be the time when the terminal device receives a signal on the first channel space path in a time slot of the first cell. The first downlink timing may also be directly configured by the network device to the terminal device.

[0108] In a possible implementation, the uplink and downlink time slot conversion of the terminal device may take time, and the time required for the uplink and downlink time slot conversion is assumed to be an uplink timing offset, so the first moment may be the first downlink timing plus the uplink timing offset corresponding to the first cell. The uplink timing offset corresponding to the first cell may be configured to the terminal device by the network device through configuration information.

[0109] The first signal is used by the network device to measure the first TA value of the first cell. The first signal may be a random access request, or may be other channel sounding reference (Sounding Reference Signal, SRS) signals. This embodiment of the application does not limit this.

[0110] The second cell associated with the first cell may be determined in any one of the following four ways.

[0111] Mode 1: In a possible implementation mode, the cell includes one or more second cells, and the configuration message includes an association relationship between the second cell and the first cell.

[0112] That is, the cell configured by the configuration message for the terminal device includes one or more second cells. Moreover, the configuration message includes the association relationship between the second cell and the first cell. Thus, based on the association relationship between the first cell and the second cell in the configuration message, the terminal device can determine the second cell associated with the first cell.

[0113] Mode 2: In a possible implementation mode, the cell includes one or more second cells, wherein the second cell associated with the first cell may be the first second cell / the last second cell / the second cell with the smallest identifier / the second cell with the largest identifier among the one or more second cells.

[0114] That is to say, the cell configured by the configuration message for the terminal device includes one or more second cells. However, the configuration message does not include the relationship between the first cell and the second cell. Then the second cell associated with the first cell can be determined based on some preset rules. For example, the second cell associated with the first cell is the first second cell / the last second cell / the second cell with the smallest identifier / the second cell with the largest identifier among the one or more second cells included in the configuration message. Among them, the first second cell may refer to the second cell that is first configured to the terminal device in the configuration message, that is, the second cell that is ranked first among the one or more second cells included in the configuration message. The last second cell may refer to the second cell that is last configured to the terminal device in the configuration message, that is, the second cell that is ranked last among the one or more second cells included in the configuration message.

[0115] Mode 3: In a possible implementation, the cell includes one or more second cells. That is, the cell configured by the configuration message for the terminal device includes one or more second cells. The association relationship between the first cell and the second cell can be determined based on the arrangement order of the first cell and the arrangement order of the second cell.

[0116] In one example, if the configuration message includes the first cell A, the first cell B, and the first cell C, it also includes the second cell a, the second cell b, and the second cell c. And the order of the first cells in the configuration message is the first cell A, the first cell B, the first cell C, and the order of the second cells is the second cell c, the second cell a, and the second cell b, then the terminal device can consider that the first cell A is associated with the second cell c, the first cell B is associated with the second cell a, and the first cell C is associated with the second cell b. In another example, if the configuration message includes the first cell A, the first cell B, and the first cell C, it also includes the second cell a, the second cell b, and the second cell c. And the order of the cells in the configuration message is the first cell A, the second cell c, the first cell B, the second cell a, the first cell C, and the second cell b, then the terminal device can consider that the first cell A is associated with the second cell c, the first cell B is associated with the second cell a, and the first cell C is associated with the second cell b. In another example, the first cell is associated with the second cell that is closest to the first cell. For example, if the configuration message includes the first cell A, the first cell B and the first cell C, it also includes the second cell a, the second cell b and the second cell c. And the order of the cells in the configuration message is the first cell A, the first cell B, the second cell c, the second cell a, the first cell C, the second cell b, then the terminal device believes that the first cell A is associated with the second cell c, the first cell B is associated with the second cell c, and the first cell C is associated with the second cell b. The above are all some distances that the association relationship between the first cell and the second cell can be determined based on the arrangement order of the first cell and the arrangement order of the second cell, and should not constitute any limitation to the embodiments of the present application.

[0117] Method 4: In a possible implementation method, the second cell associated with the first cell is the main cell in the cell group to which the first cell belongs; or, the second cell associated with the first cell is the first second cell / the last second cell / the second cell with the smallest identifier / the second cell with the largest identifier in the cell group or the timing advance group to which the first cell belongs.

[0118] In this manner, the second cell may not be included in the configuration message. The second cell associated with the first cell is obtained based on the first cell. In one example, the main cell in the cell group to which the first cell belongs is taken as the second cell associated with the first cell. For example, a cell group includes a first cell A, a second cell B, and a second cell C, wherein the second cell B is the main cell in the cell group, and the second cell associated with the first cell A is the second cell B. In one possible implementation, the first cell is not used as the main cell of the cell group. In another example, the first second cell / the last second cell / the second cell with the smallest identifier / the second cell with the largest identifier in the cell group or the timing advance group to which the first cell belongs is taken as the second cell associated with the first cell. Among them, the timing advance group is a group of cells with the same TA value.

[0119] In a possible implementation manner, after step S620, the process may include: the first network device forwarding the first information to the second network device.

[0120] Correspondingly, the second network device receives the first information sent by the first network device. The first information may include a first TA value corresponding to the first cell. Alternatively, the first information may include information used to calculate the first TA value corresponding to the first cell, such as the time when the first network device receives the first signal.

[0121] Step S630: The network device determines a first TA value of the first cell.

[0122] The first TA value may be determined by the first network device. The first TA value may also be determined by the second network device. For example, the first network device sends information for calculating the first TA value to the second network device through the first information, and the second network device calculates the first TA.

[0123] For example, the network device determines a first TA value of the first cell based on the uplink timing of the first cell and the second moment, wherein the first TA value is a difference between the second moment and the uplink timing of the first cell.

[0124] It can be known that the TA value can be expressed as the difference between the starting time of the downlink signal of the terminal device and the starting time of the uplink signal of the terminal device.

[0125] See also Figure 7 , Figure 7It is a timing diagram provided by an embodiment of the present application. The second cell sends a downlink signal to the terminal device at time T. If the propagation delay of the second cell sending the downlink signal to the terminal device is t1. It can be known that the time when the terminal device receives the downlink signal is T+t1, that is, the start time of the downlink time slot of the terminal device is T+t1. When the terminal device receives the downlink signal, it sends the first signal through the first cell. Therefore, T+t1 is the first moment, that is, the first downlink timing. In other words, the first moment is related to the downlink timing of the second cell. If the propagation delay of the terminal device sending the uplink signal (for example, the first signal) to the first cell is t2, the first cell receives the first signal at T+t1+t2. In other words, the second moment is T+t1+t2. Since the start time of the uplink and downlink time slots of the network device is fixed and aligned, the uplink timing (uplink time slot start time) of the first cell is known. Assuming that the uplink timing of the first cell is T1, the first TA value of the first cell can be expressed as T+t1+t2-T1.

[0126] exist Figure 7 In the figure, when the first moment is the first downlink timing plus the uplink timing offset corresponding to the first cell, if the uplink timing offset corresponding to the first cell is t3, the second cell sends a downlink signal to the terminal device at time T. If the propagation delay of the second cell sending the downlink signal to the terminal device is t1. It can be known that the time when the terminal device receives the downlink signal is T+t1. In other words, the starting moment of the downlink time slot of the terminal device, that is, the first downlink timing, is T+t1. The first moment is the first downlink timing plus the uplink timing offset corresponding to the first cell. It can be known that the first moment is T+t1+t3. If the propagation delay of the terminal device sending the uplink signal (for example, the first signal) to the first cell is t2, the first cell receives the first signal at T+t1+t3+t2. In other words, the second moment is T+t1+t3+t2. Since the start times of the uplink and downlink time slots of the network equipment are fixed and aligned, the uplink timing (start time of the uplink time slot) of the first cell is known. Assuming that the uplink timing of the first cell is T1, the first TA value of the first cell can be expressed as T+t1+t3+t2-T1.

[0127] Step S640: The network device sends a first response message to the terminal device through the second cell.

[0128] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives a first response message sent by the network device. The first response message includes a first TA value of the first cell.

[0129] For example, the second network device sends a first response message through the second cell, and the first response message includes the first TA value of the first cell.

[0130] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first TA value of the first cell sent by the second network device through the second cell. After receiving the first TA value, the terminal device can send an uplink signal in the subsequent uplink transmission in advance of the first TA value based on the start time T+t1 of the uplink time slot of the terminal device, thereby ensuring that the time when the uplink signal arrives at the first cell is exactly the start time of the uplink time slot of the first cell.

[0131] In a possible implementation manner, the first response message may further include an index of the first cell, or an index of a timing advance group to which the first cell belongs.

[0132] By including the index of the first cell or the index of the timing advance group to which the first cell belongs in the first response message, the terminal device obtains the index of the first cell or the index of the timing advance group to which the first cell belongs. Therefore, when multiple first cells are included in the configuration message, the terminal device can determine the first cell corresponding to the first TA value based on the index of the first cell or the index of the timing advance group to which the first cell belongs.

[0133] In a possible implementation, after step S640, the method may further include steps S650 and S660:

[0134] Step S650: The network device sends a timing update message to the terminal device.

[0135] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the timing update message sent by the network device.

[0136] For example, the network device may be a second network device.

[0137] The timing update message includes a TA update value corresponding to the second cell associated with the first cell.

[0138] In a possible implementation, the timing update message also includes an index of a second cell associated with the first cell, or an index of a timing advance group to which the second cell associated with the first cell belongs. The network device sends the index of the second cell associated with the first cell to the terminal device, so that when the configuration message includes multiple first cells, the terminal device can determine the first cell that needs to update the first TA value corresponding to the TA update value corresponding to the second cell based on the index of the second cell associated with the first cell or the index of the timing advance group to which the second cell associated with the first cell belongs.

[0139] In a possible implementation, a second parameter may be included, where the second parameter is used to indicate whether the terminal device adopts the TA update value of the second cell to update the first TA value of the first cell associated with the second cell.

[0140] Step S660: The terminal device updates the first TA value of the first cell based on the TA update value corresponding to the second cell associated with the first cell.

[0141] After receiving the TA update value corresponding to the second cell associated with the first cell, the terminal device uses half of the TA update value corresponding to the second cell as the TA update value of the first cell, and updates the TA value of the first cell based on the TA update value.

[0142] Among them, step S650-step S660 are optional steps. Figure 6 Dotted lines are used to indicate this.

[0143] In a possible implementation, after step S640, the second network device may send a timing update message. The timing update message includes the TA update value of the first cell. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the TA update value of the first cell sent by the second network device, and updates the first TA value of the first cell based on the TA update value of the first cell. After receiving the TA update value of the first cell, the terminal device uses the TA update value of the first cell as the new first TA value of the first cell, and performs uplink transmission with the first cell based on the new first TA value.

[0144] In a possible implementation, the timing update message includes an index of the first cell, or an index of the timing advance group to which the first cell belongs. By sending the index of the first cell to the terminal device, when the configuration message includes multiple first cells, the terminal device can determine the first cell that needs to update the first TA value corresponding to the TA update value of the first cell based on the index of the first cell or the index of the timing advance group to which the first cell belongs.

[0145] The following describes possible communication devices provided by embodiments of the present application.

[0146] Figure 8-Figure 10 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a possible communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0147] Figure 8 It is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 80 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0148] like Figure 8 As shown, the communication device 80 includes a transceiver unit 801 and a processing unit 802 .

[0149] The communication device 80 can be used to implement the above Figure 6 The functions of the terminal device or the network device in the method embodiment are shown.

[0150] The communication device 80 is used to implement the above Figure 6When the terminal device functions in the method embodiment shown, the transceiver unit 801 can be used to execute Figure 6 Step S610 in the embodiment of the present invention comprises receiving a configuration message, wherein the configuration message includes configuration parameters of one or more cells. Figure 6 In step S620, a first signal is sent at a first time through a first cell. It can also be used to perform Figure 6 Step S640 in the embodiment of the present invention is to receive a first response message sent by the network device through the second cell. The processing unit 802 may be configured to execute Figure 6 In step S660, a first TA value of the first cell is updated based on a TA update value corresponding to a second cell associated with the first cell.

[0151] The communication device 80 is used to implement the above Figure 6 When the network device functions in the method embodiment shown, the transceiver unit 801 can be used to perform Figure 6 Step S610 in the above example sends a configuration message, which includes configuration parameters of one or more cells and can be used to perform Figure 6 Step S620 in the embodiment of the present invention is to receive a first signal sent by a terminal device through a first cell at a first time. The processing unit 802 may be configured to execute Figure 6 In step S630, a first TA value of the first cell is determined. The transceiver unit 801 is further configured to execute Figure 6 In step S640, a first response message is sent through the second cell. Also used to perform Figure 6 In step S650, a timing update message is sent.

[0152] For a more detailed description of the transceiver unit 801 and the processing unit 802, please refer to Figure 6 The relevant description in the method embodiment shown is directly obtained and will not be repeated here.

[0153] It should be understood that the division of units in the embodiments of the present application is schematic and is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into a processor, or may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0154] Fig. 9 800 is another schematic block diagram of a communication device 800 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 800 may be a chip system, or may be a device configured with a chip system for implementing the method described in the above method embodiment. In the embodiment of the present application, the chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0155] like Fig. 9 As shown, the device 800 may include a processor 810 and a communication interface 820. The communication interface 820 may be used to communicate with other devices through a transmission medium, so that the device 800 can communicate with other devices. The communication interface 820 may be, for example, a transceiver, an interface, a bus, a circuit, or a device capable of implementing transceiver functions. The processor 810 may use the communication interface 820 to input and output data, and to implement Figure 6 The beam measurement method described in the corresponding embodiment. Specifically, the device 800 can be used to implement the functions of the network device or terminal device of the above-mentioned method embodiment. The device 800 can be a chip. It can be understood that when the device 800 is a chip, the communication interface can refer to an input and output interface. Among them, the input interface is used to perform the receiving step in the embodiment, for example, receiving the first indication information through the input interface, and receiving the first reporting information through the input interface. The output interface is used to perform the sending step in the embodiment, for example, sending the first indication information through the output interface, and sending the first reporting information through the input interface.

[0156] Optionally, the device 800 also includes at least one memory 830 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 830 is coupled to the processor 810. The coupling in the embodiment of the present application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms, and is used for information exchange between devices, units or modules. The processor 810 may operate in conjunction with the memory 830. The processor 810 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 830. At least one of the at least one memory 830 may be included in the processor 810. At least one of the at least one memory 830 may be built into the communication device 800. At least one of the at least one memory 830 may be external to the communication device 800. Therefore, as shown in the figure, Fig. 9 The memory 830 is represented by a dotted line.

[0157] The specific connection medium between the processor 810, the communication interface 820 and the memory 830 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. Fig. 9 In the embodiment, the processor 810, the communication interface 820 and the memory 830 are connected via a bus 840. The bus 840 is Fig. 9 The connections between the other components are shown in bold lines, which are only for illustration and are not intended to be limiting. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Fig. 9 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.

[0158] Fig.101 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device 1000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The terminal device 1000 can be used to implement Figure 6 The steps performed by the terminal device in the embodiment shown. Fig.10 As shown, the terminal device 1000 includes a processor 1001 and a transceiver 1002 .

[0159] Optionally, the terminal device 1000 further includes a memory 1003. The processor 1001, the transceiver 1002 and the memory 1003 can communicate with each other through an internal connection path to transmit control and / or data signals, the memory 1003 is used to store a computer program, and the processor 1001 is used to call and run the computer program from the memory 1003 to control the transceiver 1002 to send and receive signals.

[0160] Optionally, the terminal device 1000 may further include an antenna 1004, which is used to send out the uplink data or uplink control signaling output by the transceiver 1002 through a wireless signal. Optionally, the terminal device 1000 also includes a Wi-Fi module 1011, which is used to access a wireless network.

[0161] The processor 1001 and the memory 1003 may be combined into a processing device, and the processor 1001 is used to execute the program code stored in the memory 1003 to implement the above functions. In specific implementation, the memory 1003 may also be integrated into the processor 1001, or independent of the processor 1001.

[0162] The transceiver 1002 can be used with Figure 8 The transceiver unit 801 in, or Fig. 9 The transceiver 1002 may include a receiver (or receiver, receiving circuit) and a transmitter (or transmitter, transmitting circuit). The receiver is used to receive signals, and the transmitter is used to transmit signals.

[0163] Optionally, the terminal device 1000 may further include a power supply 1005 for providing power to various devices or circuits in the terminal device 1000 .

[0164] In addition, in order to make the functions of the terminal device more complete, the terminal device 1000 may also include one or more of an input unit 1006, a display unit 1007, an audio circuit 1008, a camera 1009 and a sensor 1010, and the audio circuit may also include a speaker 1008a, a microphone 1008b, etc.

[0165] It should be understood that the operations and / or functions of each module in the terminal device 1000 are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes in the above method embodiment. For details, please refer to the description in the above method embodiment. To avoid repetition, the detailed description is appropriately omitted here.

[0166] The present application also provides a computer program product, the computer program product comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instruction), when the computer program is executed, can achieve Figure 6 The method described in the illustrated embodiments.

[0167] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instruction). When the computer program is executed, Figure 6 The method described in the illustrated embodiments.

[0168] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes a terminal device and a network device as described above.

[0169] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiment of the present application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by the hardware integrated logic circuit or software instructions in the processor. The above processor can be a general processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components. The methods, steps and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiment of the present application can be directly embodied as a hardware decoding processor to perform, or the hardware and software modules in the decoding processor can be combined to perform. The software module can be located in a mature storage medium in the field such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0170] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0171] The terms "unit", "module", etc. used in this specification may be used to represent computer-related entities, hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. The units and modules in the embodiments of the present application have the same meaning and can be used interchangeably.

[0172] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or in combination with computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application. In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices, equipment and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0173] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0174] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0175] In the above embodiments, the functions of each functional unit can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions (programs). When the computer program instructions (programs) are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website site, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (digital subscriber line, DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website site, computer, server or data center. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0176] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the technology or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as USB flash drives, mobile hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0177] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: receiving a configuration message, where the configuration message includes configuration parameters of one or more cells, where the cells include a first cell, where the first cell is a cell having only an uplink receiving capability; Sending a first signal at a first time through the first cell, where the first time is related to a first downlink timing, the first downlink timing is a downlink timing of a second cell associated with the first cell, and the second cell is a cell with uplink receiving capability and downlink sending capability; A first response message is received through the second cell, where the first response message includes a first timing advance TA value of the first cell.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first cell is a cell that satisfies one or more of the following conditions: The cell is not configured with downlink bandwidth; The cell is not configured with physical downlink shared channel parameters; The cell is not configured with physical downlink control channel parameters; The cell is not configured with channel state information measurement parameters; The cell is not configured with uplink and downlink frame structure parameters; The second cell associated with the cell configuration.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that For any cell among the one or more cells, if the configuration parameters of the any cell include a first parameter, the any cell is the first cell; or, if the value of the first parameter in the configuration parameters of the any cell is a first value, the any cell is the first cell.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The cell further includes one or more second cells, the configuration message includes an association relationship between the first cell and the second cell, and the second cell associated with the first cell is determined according to the association relationship.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The cell also includes one or more second cells, and the second cell associated with the first cell is the first second cell / the last second cell / the second cell with the smallest identifier / the second cell with the largest identifier among the one or more second cells.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The second cell associated with the first cell is a primary cell in a cell group to which the first cell belongs; or, The second cell associated with the first cell is the first second cell / the last second cell / the second cell with the smallest identifier / the second cell with the largest identifier in the cell group or the timing advance group to which the first cell belongs.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The first response message also includes an index of the first cell, or an index of a timing advance group to which the first cell belongs.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The method further comprises: receiving a timing update message, wherein the timing update message includes a TA update value corresponding to a second cell associated with the first cell; A first TA value of the first cell is updated based on a TA update value corresponding to a second cell associated with the first cell.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The timing update message further includes an index of a second cell associated with the first cell or an index of a timing advance group to which the second cell associated with the first cell belongs.

10. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Sending a configuration message, where the configuration message includes configuration parameters of one or more cells, where the cells include a first cell, where the first cell is a cell having only an uplink receiving capability; Receiving, at a second moment, a first signal sent by a terminal device at a first moment, where the first moment is related to a first downlink timing, the first downlink timing is a downlink timing of a second cell associated with the first cell, and the second cell is a cell having an uplink receiving capability and a downlink sending capability; Determine a first timing advance TA value of the first cell based on the uplink timing of the first cell and the second time; A first response message is sent through the second cell, where the first response message includes a first TA value of the first cell.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The first cell is a cell that satisfies one or more of the following conditions: The cell is not configured with downlink bandwidth; The cell is not configured with physical downlink shared channel parameters; The cell is not configured with physical downlink control channel parameters; The cell is not configured with channel state information measurement parameters; The cell is not configured with uplink and downlink frame structure parameters; The second cell associated with the cell configuration.

12. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that For any cell among the one or more cells, if the configuration parameters of the any cell include a first parameter, the any cell is the first cell; or, if the value of the first parameter in the configuration parameters of the any cell is a first value, the any cell is the first cell.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that: The cell further includes one or more second cells, the configuration message includes an association relationship between the first cell and the second cell, and the second cell associated with the first cell is determined according to the association relationship.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that: The cell also includes one or more second cells, and the second cell associated with the first cell is the first second cell / the last second cell / the second cell with the smallest identifier / the second cell with the largest identifier among the one or more second cells.

15. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that: The second cell associated with the first cell is a primary cell in a cell group to which the first cell belongs; or, The second cell associated with the first cell is the first second cell / the last second cell / the second cell with the smallest identifier / the second cell with the largest identifier in the cell group or the timing advance group to which the first cell belongs, and the TA value of one or more cells in the timing advance group is the same.

16. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, characterized in that: The first response message also includes an index of the first cell, or an index of a timing advance group to which the first cell belongs.

17. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 16, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Send a timing update message, where the timing update message includes a TA update value corresponding to a second cell associated with the first cell.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The timing update message further includes an index of a second cell associated with the first cell or an index of a timing advance group to which the second cell associated with the first cell belongs.

19. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a unit for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, or a unit for implementing the method according to any one of claims 10 to 18.

20. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises a processor, wherein the processor is used to execute a computer program in a memory so that the device implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, or implements the method according to any one of claims 10 to 18.

21. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 10 to 18 is implemented.

22. A communication system, characterized in that: It comprises a terminal device and a network device, wherein the terminal device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-9, and the network device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 10-18.

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