Communication method, device and system

Abstract

The invention discloses a communication method, device and system, relates to the technical field of communication, and can prevent the data transmission rate of terminal equipment from tending to zero as far as possible when first network equipment is deleted, so that the communication performance can be improved. The method comprises the following steps: a second network device sends first indication information to a first network device; or the second network device receives first indication information from the first network device; and sending the first information to the terminal equipment. Wherein the first indication information is used for indicating that a first radio bearer of the terminal equipment corresponds to a first set of protocol stacks and a second set of protocol stacks; the first set of protocol stack corresponds to a first entity of the first network equipment, and the second set of protocol stack corresponds to a second entity of the second network equipment; the first entity and the second entity are used for processing data of the first radio bearer; the first information is used for indicating to delete the first network equipment, and the first information is also used for indicating that the first radio bearer corresponds to two sets of protocol stacks; and the terminal equipment communicates with the first network equipment and the second network equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular, to communication methods, devices, and systems. Background Art

[0002] In a communication system, a terminal device can transmit data of a radio bearer with a master node (MN) and / or a secondary node (SN) to improve the data transmission rate of the terminal device. Among them, the secondary node can configure a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity to process the data of the radio bearer, for example, encryption, integrity protection, sequence numbering, packet sorting, etc. The PDCP entity of the secondary node can be associated with the radio link control (RLC) entity of the master node and the RLC entity of the secondary node to achieve radio bearer data replication or splitting, thereby improving the efficiency and reliability of data transmission.

[0003] After the secondary node is deleted, the terminal device communicates only with the master node and the core network. At this time, the PDCP entity corresponding to the radio bearer needs to be on the master node side. Therefore, the master node needs to re-establish the PDCP entity associated with the radio bearer and associate it with the underlying transmission resources of the master node. Correspondingly, on the terminal device side, it is necessary to re-establish the PDCP entity (or reconfigure the parameters of the PDCP entity) and change the underlying transmission resources. At this time, the terminal device will suspend the data processing and transmission of the corresponding radio bearer, and the data transmission rate will tend to zero, reducing the communication performance. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of this application provide a communication method, device, and system, which can avoid the data transmission rate of the terminal device from tending to zero as much as possible when deleting the first network device, and thus can improve the communication performance.

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a second network device. Unless otherwise specified, the "second network device" in this application can refer to the second network device itself, or a component in the second network device (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the second network device. The method includes: the second network device sends a first indication message to the first network device; or the second network device receives the first indication message from the first network device; and sends the first information to the terminal device. The first indication message is used to indicate that the first radio bearer of the terminal device corresponds to the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack; the first protocol stack corresponds to the first entity of the first network device, and the second protocol stack corresponds to the second entity of the second network device; the first entity and the second entity are used to process the data of the first radio bearer; the first information is used to indicate the deletion of the first network device, and the first information is also used to indicate that the first radio bearer corresponds to the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack; the terminal device communicates with the first network device and the second network device.

[0006] Based on this solution, on the one hand, when the first network device sends the first indication information to the second network device, the first network device can determine that the first entity needs to continue processing the data of the first wireless bearer corresponding to the first protocol stack, so that the first network device does not immediately release the resources associated with the first entity; or, when the second network device receives the first indication information from the first network device, the second network device can continue to send the first wireless bearer data to the first entity before the second protocol stack is completed. On the other hand, the terminal device can configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first wireless bearer according to the first information, that is, the terminal device can process and transmit the data of the first wireless bearer through the first protocol stack when configuring the second protocol stack, which can avoid the situation where the terminal device suspends processing and transmission of data of the first wireless bearer as much as possible, thereby improving the performance of communication.

[0007] In one possible implementation, the second network device sends first configuration information to the terminal device; wherein the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to establish a first functional unit corresponding to the second protocol stack, and the first functional unit corresponds to the second entity; or, the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to configure the first functional unit corresponding to the second protocol stack, and the first functional unit corresponds to the second entity.

[0008] Based on this possible implementation, the terminal device can establish a first functional unit to process the data of the first wireless bearer of the second entity; or, the terminal device can configure the first functional unit in the original entity to process the data of the first wireless bearer of the second entity, providing two feasible solutions for determining the first functional unit corresponding to the second protocol stack.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the second network device sends second configuration information to the terminal device; wherein the second configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to establish a first bearer corresponding to the second protocol stack; the first bearer is associated with the first functional unit; or, the second configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to release the association between the second bearer corresponding to the second network device and the second functional unit.

[0010] Optionally, the second configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to release the association between the second bearer and the second functional unit corresponding to the second network device, and the second configuration information is also used to indicate the configuration association between the second bearer and the first functional unit.

[0011] Based on this possible implementation, the terminal device can establish a first bearer without changing the configuration of the original second bearer to transmit data of the first wireless bearer corresponding to the first functional unit; or, the terminal device can configure the original second bearer to transmit data of the first wireless bearer corresponding to the first functional unit, providing two feasible solutions for determining the bearer in the second protocol stack.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the second network device sends third configuration information to the terminal device; wherein the third configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to establish a third bearer corresponding to the first set of protocol stacks; the third bearer is associated with the second functional unit; or, the third configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to configure a fourth bearer corresponding to the first set of protocol stacks; the fourth bearer is associated with the second functional unit; and the second functional unit corresponds to the first entity.

[0013] Based on this possible implementation, the third bearer can transmit the data of the first wireless bearer corresponding to the second functional unit, so as to avoid as much as possible the situation where the terminal device suspends processing and transmission of data of the first wireless bearer when the terminal device is configured with the second set of protocol stacks, thereby improving the communication performance.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the second network device receives third configuration information from the first network device.

[0015] Based on this possible implementation, a feasible solution is provided for the second network device to determine the third configuration information.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the first information includes one or more of the following: first configuration information, second configuration information, or third configuration information.

[0017] Based on this possible implementation, a feasible solution is provided for transmitting the first configuration information, the second configuration information, and / or the third configuration information.

[0018] A possible implementation is that, before sending the first indication information to the first network device, the second network device receives first capability information from the first network device; wherein, the first capability information is used to indicate that the first network device supports configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for a first radio bearer of a terminal device.

[0019] Wherein, the first capability information is further used to indicate that the first network device supports configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for any radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0020] A possible implementation is that, before sending the first indication information to the first network device, the second network device sends first request information to the first network device; wherein, the first request information is used to request to obtain the capability of the first network device to support configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for a first radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0021] Based on the above two possible implementations, on the one hand, it is possible to avoid as much as possible the situation where the second network device instructs the first network device to configure a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for a first radio bearer of the terminal device, but the first network device does not have the capability to configure a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device, which can reduce resource waste and improve the efficiency of information interaction between the first network device and the second network device; on the other hand, compared with the second network device receiving the first capability information from the first network device after sending the first request information, the second network device can directly receive the first capability information from the first network device, which can reduce the transmission overhead.

[0022] A possible implementation is that, before receiving the first indication information from the first network device, the second network device sends second capability information to the first network device; wherein, the second capability information is used to indicate that the second network device supports configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for a first radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0023] Wherein, the second capability information is further used to indicate that the second network device supports configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for any radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0024] A possible implementation is that the second network device receives second request information from the first network device; wherein, the second request information is used to request to obtain the capability of the second network device to support configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for a first radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0025] Based on the above two possible implementations, on the one hand, it is possible to avoid as much as possible the situation where the first network device instructs the second network device to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for the first wireless bearer of the terminal device, but the second network device is unable to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for the first wireless bearer of the terminal device, thereby reducing resource waste and improving the efficiency of information interaction between the first network device and the second network device; on the other hand, compared with the second network device sending the second capability information to the first network device after receiving the second request information, the second network device can actively send the second capability information to the first network device, thereby reducing transmission overhead.

[0026] In one possible implementation, before sending the first information to the terminal device, the second network device receives third capability information from the terminal device; wherein the third capability information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports configuring the first radio bearer to associate the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack.

[0027] The third capability information is also used to indicate that the terminal device supports the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for configuring any wireless bearer.

[0028] In one possible implementation, before sending the first information to the terminal device, the second network device sends a third request information to the terminal device; wherein the third request information is used to request the terminal device to support the ability to configure the first wireless bearer to associate the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack.

[0029] Based on the above two possible implementations, on the one hand, it is possible to avoid as much as possible the situation where the second network device instructs the terminal device to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first wireless bearer, but the terminal device is unable to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first wireless bearer, thereby reducing resource waste and improving the efficiency of information interaction between the terminal device and the second network device; on the other hand, compared with the second network device sending the third request information and then receiving the third capability information from the terminal device, the second network device can directly receive the third capability information from the terminal device, thereby reducing transmission overhead.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the second network device sends the third capability information to the first network device.

[0031] Based on this possible implementation, after obtaining the third capability information of the terminal device, the second network device can send the third capability information to the first network device, which can enable the first network device to determine whether the terminal supports configuring the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer, and can avoid as much as possible the situation where the first network device instructs the terminal device to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer, but the terminal device does not have the ability to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer, and can reduce resource waste.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the second network device sends second indication information to the first network device; or, receives second indication information from the first network device; wherein, the second indication information is used to indicate configuring the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack associated with the first radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0033] In a possible implementation, when the second network device (or the first network device) does not configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack associated with the first radio bearer of the terminal device, the second indication information is further used to indicate the reason for not configuring the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack associated with the first radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0034] Based on the above two possible implementations, the second network device can use the second indication information to enable the first network device to determine whether the second network device configures the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack associated with the first radio bearer of the terminal device, and can also indicate the reason for failure; or, the second network device can use the second indication information to determine whether the first network device configures the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack associated with the first radio bearer of the terminal device, and can also determine the reason for failure, thereby improving the information interaction efficiency between the first network device and the second network device.

[0035] In a possible implementation, the second network device sends third indication information to the first network device; or, the second network device receives third indication information from the first network device; according to the third indication information, determine that the first network device releases the association relationship between the first entity and the fifth bearer in the second network device. Wherein, the third indication information is used to indicate releasing the association relationship between the first entity and the fifth bearer in the second network device.

[0036] Based on this possible implementation, the second network device can determine that the first network device releases the association relationship between the first entity and the fifth bearer in the second network device. Further, the second network device does not need to re - establish a bearer, can associate the second entity with the fifth bearer, and can improve resource utilization.

[0037] In one possible implementation, the second network device sends fourth indication information to the first network device; wherein the fourth indication information is used to instruct the terminal device to complete the configuration of the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer.

[0038] Based on this possible implementation, the first network device can determine that the terminal device has completed the configuration of the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer, and then release the resources associated with the terminal device.

[0039] In one possible implementation, the second network device sends fifth indication information to the terminal device; wherein the fifth indication information is used to indicate the release of the first protocol stack; or, the fifth indication information is used to indicate the release of the connection with the first network device.

[0040] Based on this possible implementation, the terminal device can determine to release the first set of protocol stacks or the connection with the first network device according to the fifth indication information, and then enable the terminal device to process and transmit the data of the first wireless bearer through the second protocol stack, providing a feasible solution for the second network device to instruct the terminal device to release the first set of protocol stacks.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the second network device receives sixth indication information from the first network device; wherein the sixth indication information is used to instruct the first network device to terminate transmission with the terminal device.

[0042] Based on the above possible implementation, the second network device may determine that the first network device terminates the transmission with the terminal device.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the second network device sends the fifth indication information to the terminal device according to the sixth indication information.

[0044] Based on this possible implementation, the second network device can send the fifth indication information to the terminal device after determining that the first network device terminates the transmission with the terminal device. This can avoid as much as possible the situation where the first network device does not terminate the transmission with the terminal device, but the terminal device releases the connection with the first network device, thereby improving the reliability of communication.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the first entity is a packet data convergence layer protocol entity, and the second entity is a packet data convergence layer protocol entity; or, the first entity is a functional unit of the packet data convergence layer protocol, and the second entity is a functional unit of the packet data convergence layer protocol.

[0046] Based on this possible implementation, several feasible solutions are provided for the implementation of the first entity and the second entity.

[0047] In a possible implementation, the first information is located in a radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0048] Based on this possible implementation, the first information may be located in an RRC message, providing a feasible solution for transmission of the first information.

[0049] In a possible implementation, the first indication information is located in the secondary station deletion request message; or, the first indication information is located in the secondary station deletion response message.

[0050] Based on this possible implementation, the first indication information may be sent separately or included in the secondary station deletion request message or the secondary station deletion response message, thereby providing two feasible solutions for transmitting the first indication information.

[0051] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal device. Unless otherwise specified, the "terminal device" in this application can refer to the terminal device itself, or a component in the terminal device (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the terminal device functions. The method includes: the terminal device receives first information from a second network device; according to the first information, configures a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for a first radio bearer. The first information is used to indicate the deletion of the first network device, and the first information is also used to indicate that the first radio bearer corresponds to the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack; the terminal device communicates with the first network device and the second network device.

[0052] Based on this solution, the terminal device can configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first wireless bearer according to the first information, that is, the terminal device can process and transmit the data of the first wireless bearer through the first protocol stack when configuring the second protocol stack, which can avoid the situation where the terminal device suspends processing and transmission of data of the first wireless bearer as much as possible, thereby improving the performance of communication.

[0053] In one possible implementation, the terminal device receives first configuration information from the second network device; establishes a first functional unit based on the first configuration information; wherein the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to establish a first functional unit corresponding to the second protocol stack, and the first functional unit corresponds to the second entity of the second network device; the second entity is used to process data of the first wireless bearer.

[0054] Alternatively, the terminal device receives first configuration information from the second network device and configures the first functional unit according to the first configuration information. The first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to configure the first functional unit corresponding to the second protocol stack, the first functional unit corresponding to the second entity of the second network device; the second entity is used to process data of the first radio bearer.

[0055] Based on this possible implementation, the terminal device can establish a first functional unit to process the data of the first wireless bearer corresponding to the second entity; or, the terminal device can configure the first functional unit in the original entity to process the data of the first wireless bearer corresponding to the second entity, providing two feasible solutions for determining the first functional unit corresponding to the second protocol stack.

[0056] In one possible implementation, the terminal device receives second configuration information from the second network device; establishes a first bearer based on the second configuration information; wherein the second configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to establish the first bearer in the second protocol stack; and the first bearer is associated with the first functional unit.

[0057] Alternatively, the terminal device receives second configuration information from a second network device; configures a second bearer based on the second configuration information; wherein the second configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to release the association between the second bearer and the second functional unit corresponding to the second network device, and the second configuration information is also used to indicate the configuration association between the second bearer and the first functional unit; the second functional unit corresponds to the first entity.

[0058] Based on this possible implementation, the terminal device can establish a first bearer to transmit data of the first wireless bearer corresponding to the first functional unit without changing the configuration of the original second bearer; or, the terminal device can configure the original second bearer to transmit data of the first wireless bearer corresponding to the first functional unit, providing two feasible solutions for determining the bearer in the second protocol stack.

[0059] In one possible implementation, a terminal device receives third configuration information from a second network device and establishes a third bearer based on the third configuration information. The third configuration information instructs the terminal device to establish a third bearer corresponding to the first protocol stack; the third bearer is associated with the second functional unit; and the second functional unit corresponds to the first entity. Alternatively, the terminal device receives third configuration information from the second network device and configures the third bearer based on the third configuration information. The third configuration information instructs the terminal device to configure a fourth bearer corresponding to the first protocol stack; and the fourth bearer is associated with the second functional unit.

[0060] Based on this possible implementation, the third bearer can transmit the data of the first wireless bearer corresponding to the second functional unit, so as to avoid as much as possible the situation where the terminal device suspends processing and transmission of data of the first wireless bearer when the terminal device is configured with the second set of protocol stacks, thereby improving the communication performance.

[0061] In one possible implementation, the first information includes one or more of the following: first configuration information, second configuration information, or third configuration information.

[0062] Based on this possible implementation, a feasible solution is provided for transmitting the first configuration information, the second configuration information, and / or the third configuration information.

[0063] In one possible implementation, the terminal device sends third capability information to the second network device; wherein the third capability information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for configuring the first radio bearer.

[0064] In one possible implementation, the terminal device receives third request information from the second network device; wherein the third request information is used to request the terminal device to support the ability of the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack to configure the first radio bearer.

[0065] Based on this possible implementation, on the one hand, it is possible to avoid as much as possible the situation where the second network device instructs the terminal device to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first wireless bearer, but the terminal device is unable to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first wireless bearer, thereby reducing resource waste and improving the efficiency of information interaction between the terminal device and the second network device; on the other hand, compared with the terminal device sending the third capability information after the second network device sends the third request information, the terminal device can directly send the third capability information, which can reduce transmission overhead.

[0066] In one possible implementation, the terminal device sends third capability information to the first network device; wherein the third capability information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for configuring the first radio bearer.

[0067] The third capability information is also used to indicate that the terminal device supports the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for configuring any wireless bearer.

[0068] In one possible implementation, the terminal device receives third request information from the first network device; wherein the third request information is used to request the terminal device to support the capability of configuring the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer.

[0069] Based on this possible implementation, on the one hand, it is possible to avoid as much as possible the situation where the first network device instructs the terminal device to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first wireless bearer, but the terminal device is unable to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first wireless bearer, thereby reducing resource waste and improving the efficiency of information interaction between the terminal device and the first network device; on the other hand, compared with the terminal device sending the third capability information after the first network device sends the third request information, the terminal device can directly send the third capability information, which can reduce transmission overhead.

[0070] A possible implementation is that the terminal device receives fifth indication information from a second network device; according to the fifth indication information, release the first protocol stack, or release the connection with the first network device. The fifth indication information is used to indicate the release of the first protocol stack; or the fifth indication information is used to indicate the release of the connection with the first network device.

[0071] Based on this possible implementation, it provides a feasible solution for the second network device to indicate to the terminal device to release the first protocol stack or the connection with the first network device.

[0072] A possible implementation is that the terminal device sends seventh indication information to the first network device; the seventh indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device terminates the transmission with the first network device.

[0073] Based on this possible implementation, the first network device can determine that the terminal device ends the transmission, which can avoid as much as possible the situation where the first network device releases the resources associated with the terminal device while the terminal device has not ended the transmission with the first network device, and can improve the reliability of communication.

[0074] A possible implementation is that the first information is located in a radio resource control message.

[0075] Based on this possible implementation, the first information can be located in an RRC message, providing a feasible solution for the transmission of the first information.

[0076] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a first network device. Without special indication, the "first network device" in this application can refer to the first network device itself, or a component in the first network device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or can also be a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first network device. The method includes: the first network device receives first indication information from a second network device; or the first network device sends first indication information to the second network device; the first indication information is used to indicate that the first radio bearer of the terminal device corresponds to a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack; the first protocol stack corresponds to a first entity of the first network device, and the second protocol stack corresponds to a second entity of the second network device; the first entity and the second entity are used to process the data of the first radio bearer.

[0077] Based on this solution, when the first network device sends the first indication information to the second network device, it can implicitly indicate that the first network device supports not immediately releasing the resources associated with the first entity when the first network device is deleted; or, when the first network device receives the first indication information from the second network device, the first network device can determine not to immediately release the resources associated with the first entity, so that the first entity can continue to process the data of the first wireless bearer, and can avoid as much as possible the situation where the terminal device suspends processing and transmission of the data of the first wireless bearer, thereby improving the performance of communication.

[0078] In one possible implementation, the first network device sends third configuration information to the second network device, wherein the third configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to establish a third bearer corresponding to the first protocol stack; the third bearer is associated with the second functional unit; and the second functional unit corresponds to the first entity.

[0079] Based on this possible implementation, the second network device can determine the third configuration information, providing a feasible solution for the second network device to determine the third configuration information.

[0080] In one possible implementation, before sending the first indication information to the second network device, the first network device sends the first capability information to the second network device; wherein the first capability information is used to indicate that the first network device supports configuring the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for the first wireless bearer of the terminal device.

[0081] The first capability information is also used to indicate that the first network device supports configuring the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for any radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0082] In one possible implementation, before sending the first indication information to the second network device, the first network device receives a first request information from the second network device; wherein the first request information is used to request the first network device to support the ability to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for the first wireless bearer of the terminal device.

[0083] Based on the above two possible implementations, on the one hand, it is possible to avoid as much as possible the situation where the second network device instructs the first network device to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for the first wireless bearer of the terminal device, but the first network device is unable to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for the first wireless bearer of the terminal device, thereby reducing resource waste and improving the efficiency of information interaction between the first network device and the second network device; on the other hand, compared with the first network device sending the first capability information after receiving the first request information from the second network device, the first network device can directly send the first capability information to the second network device, thereby reducing transmission overhead.

[0084] In a possible implementation, before sending the first indication information to the second network device, the first network device receives second capability information from the second network device; wherein, the second capability information is used to indicate that the second network device supports configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for a first radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0085] Wherein, the second capability information is further used to indicate that the second network device supports configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for any radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0086] In a possible implementation, before sending the first indication information to the second network device, the first network device sends second request information to the second network device; wherein, the second request information is used to request to obtain the capability of the second network device to support configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for a first radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0087] Based on the above two possible implementations, on the one hand, it is possible to avoid as much as possible the situation where the first network device instructs the second network device to configure a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for a first radio bearer of the terminal device, but the second network device does not have the ability to configure a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device, which can reduce resource waste and improve the efficiency of information interaction between the first network device and the second network device; on the other hand, compared with the first network device receiving the second capability information from the second network device after sending the second request information, the first network device can directly receive the second capability information from the second network device, which can reduce the transmission overhead.

[0088] In a possible implementation, the first network device receives third capability information from the terminal device; wherein, the third capability information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for a first radio bearer.

[0089] Wherein, the third capability information is further used to indicate that the terminal device supports configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for any radio bearer.

[0090] In a possible implementation, the first network device sends third request information to the terminal device; wherein, the third request information is used to request to obtain the capability of the terminal device to support configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for a first radio bearer.

[0091] Based on the above two possible implementations, on the one hand, it is possible to avoid as much as possible the situation where the first network device instructs the terminal device to configure the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks for the first radio bearer, but the terminal device does not have the ability to configure the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks for the first radio bearer, which can reduce resource waste and improve the efficiency of information interaction between the terminal device and the first network device; on the other hand, compared with the first network device receiving the third capability information from the terminal device after sending the third request information, the first network device can directly receive the third capability information from the terminal device, which can reduce the transmission overhead.

[0092] In a possible implementation, the first network device receives the third capability information from the second network device.

[0093] Based on this possible implementation, the first network device can receive the third capability information from the second network device, providing another feasible solution for the first network device to obtain the third capability information.

[0094] In a possible implementation, the first network device receives the second indication information from the second network device; or, the first network device sends the second indication information to the second network device; where the second indication information is used to indicate configuring the first radio bearer of the terminal device to be associated with the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks.

[0095] In a possible implementation, when the second network device (or the first network device) does not configure the first radio bearer of the terminal device to be associated with the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks, the second indication information is further used to indicate the reason for not configuring the first radio bearer of the terminal device to be associated with the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks.

[0096] Based on the above two possible implementations, the first network device can determine whether the second network device configures the first radio bearer of the terminal device to be associated with the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks through the second indication information, and at the same time can also determine the reason for failure; or, the first network device can, through the second indication information, instruct the second network device to determine whether the first network device configures the first radio bearer of the terminal device to be associated with the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks, and at the same time can also indicate the reason for failure, thereby improving the efficiency of information interaction between the first network device and the second network device.

[0097] In a possible implementation, the first network device receives the third indication information from the second network device; according to the third indication information, release the association relationship between the first entity and the fifth bearer in the second network device; or, the first network device sends the third indication information to the second network device; where the third indication information is used to indicate releasing the association relationship between the first entity and the fifth bearer in the second network device.

[0098] Based on this possible implementation, the first network device may determine that the first network device releases the association between the first entity and the fifth bearer in the second network device. Further, it may enable the second network device not to establish a bearer associated with the second entity, and may associate the second entity with the fifth bearer, thereby improving resource utilization.

[0099] In a possible implementation, the first network device receives fourth indication information from the second network device; and according to the fourth indication information, sends an indication information for ending downlink scheduling to the core network device. The fourth indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device completes the configuration of the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer.

[0100] Based on this possible implementation, the first network device may determine that the terminal device completes the configuration of the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer, and then may release the resources associated with the terminal device.

[0101] In a possible implementation, the first network device sends seventh indication information to the second network device; the seventh indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device terminates the transmission with the first network device.

[0102] Based on this possible implementation, the second network device may determine, according to the seventh indication information, that the transmission between the first network device and the terminal device is terminated, and then send fifth indication information to the terminal device, which can avoid as much as possible the situation that the first network device does not terminate the transmission with the terminal device, but the terminal device releases the connection with the first network device, thereby improving the reliability of communication.

[0103] In a possible implementation, the first entity is a packet data convergence protocol entity, and the second entity is a packet data convergence protocol entity; or, the first entity is a functional unit of the packet data convergence protocol, and the second entity is a functional unit of the packet data convergence protocol.

[0104] Based on this possible implementation, several feasible solutions are provided for the implementation of the first entity and the second entity.

[0105] In a possible implementation, the first indication information is located in the secondary station deletion request message; or the first indication information is located in the secondary station deletion response message.

[0106] Based on this possible implementation, the first indication information may be sent separately or located in the secondary station deletion request message or the secondary station deletion response message, providing two feasible solutions for the transmission of the first indication information.

[0107] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the method in the first aspect. The communication device may be the second network device in the first aspect, or a device or component included in the second network device, such as a chip.

[0108] The communication device includes corresponding modules, units, or means for implementing the above method. The modules, units, or means can be implemented by hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions.

[0109] In some possible implementations, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The transceiver module may include a sending module and a receiving module, which are respectively used to implement the functions of the sending type and the receiving type in the above first aspect and any of its possible implementations. The processing module may be used to implement the processing function in the above first aspect and any of its possible implementations. Exemplarily, the transceiver module is used to send first indication information to a first network device; or receive first indication information from the first network device; wherein, the first indication information is used to indicate that a first radio bearer of a terminal device corresponds to a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack; the first protocol stack corresponds to a first entity of the first network device, and the second protocol stack corresponds to a second entity of a second network device; the first entity and the second entity are used to process data of the first radio bearer; the transceiver module is further used to send first information to the terminal device; wherein, the first information is used to indicate deleting the first network device, and the first information is further used to indicate that the first radio bearer corresponds to the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack; the terminal device communicates with the first network device and the second network device.

[0110] Optionally, the transceiver module and the processing module of the communication device in the fourth aspect may also execute the corresponding functions in the above first aspect or any of its possible implementations. For specific details, refer to the detailed description in the method examples, and the beneficial effects that can be achieved can also be referred to the foregoing relevant content.

[0111] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the method in the above second aspect. The communication device may be the terminal device in the second aspect, or a device or component included in the terminal device, such as a chip.

[0112] The communication device includes corresponding modules, units, or means for implementing the above method. The modules, units, or means can be implemented by hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions.

[0113] In some possible implementations, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The transceiver module may include a sending module and a receiving module, which are respectively used to implement the sending and receiving functions in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof. The processing module may be used to implement the processing function in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof. Exemplarily, the transceiver module is used to receive first information from a second network device; wherein the first information is used to indicate deleting a first network device, and the first information is further used to indicate that a first radio bearer corresponds to a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack; the terminal device communicates with the first network device and the second network device; the processing module is used to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer according to the first information.

[0114] Optionally, the transceiver module and the processing module of the communication device in the fifth aspect may also execute the corresponding functions in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect. For specific details, refer to the detailed description in the method examples. The beneficial effects that can be achieved can also be referred to in the foregoing relevant content.

[0115] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the method in the third aspect. The communication device may be the first network device in the third aspect, or a device or component included in the first network device, such as a chip.

[0116] The communication device includes corresponding modules, units, or means for implementing the above method. The modules, units, or means may be implemented by hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions.

[0117] In some possible implementations, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The transceiver module may include a sending module and a receiving module, which are respectively used to implement the sending and receiving functions in the third aspect and any possible implementation thereof. The processing module may be used to implement the processing function in the third aspect and any possible implementation thereof. Exemplarily, the transceiver module is used to receive first indication information from a second network device; or, send first indication information to the second network device; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that a first radio bearer of the terminal device corresponds to a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack; the first protocol stack corresponds to a first entity of the first network device, and the second protocol stack corresponds to a second entity of the second network device; the first entity and the second entity are used to process data of the first radio bearer.

[0118] Optionally, the transceiver module and the processing module of the communication device in the sixth aspect may also perform the corresponding functions in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect. For specific details, refer to the detailed description in the method examples. The beneficial effects that can be achieved can also be seen in the foregoing related content.

[0119] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, including: at least one processor, which is configured to cause the communication device to execute the method described in any of the foregoing aspects or any possible implementation of any of the foregoing aspects by executing computer instructions stored in a memory or through logic circuits. The communication device may be the second network device in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or a device or component included in the second network device, such as a chip; or, the communication device may be the terminal device in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or a device or component included in the terminal device, such as a chip; or, the communication device may be the first network device in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect, or a device or component included in the first network device.

[0120] In some possible implementations, the communication device further includes a memory for storing computer instructions and / or configuration files of logic circuits. Optionally, the memory and the processor are integrated together, or the memory is independent of the processor.

[0121] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided, including: a processor and a communication interface; the communication interface is configured to input and / or output signals; the processor is configured to execute a computer program or instruction to cause the communication device to execute the method described in any of the foregoing aspects. The communication device may be the second network device in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or a device or component included in the second network device, such as a chip; or, the communication device may be the terminal device in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or a device or component included in the terminal device, such as a chip; or, the communication device may be the first network device in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect, or a device or component included in the first network device, such as a chip.

[0122] In some possible implementations, the communication interface is an interface circuit for reading and writing computer instructions. For example, the interface circuit is configured to receive computer execution instructions (the computer execution instructions are stored in the memory, and may be directly read from the memory or may pass through other devices) and transmit them to the processor.

[0123] In some possible implementations, the communication interface is configured to communicate with a module outside the communication device.

[0124] In some possible implementations, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system. When the device is a chip system, the chip system may include a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0125] In a ninth aspect, a communication device is provided, including: a logic circuit and an interface circuit; the interface circuit is configured to input information and / or output information; the logic circuit is configured to execute the method described in any of the above aspects, and process and / or generate output information according to the input information. The communication device may be the second network device in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or a device or component included in the second network device, such as a chip; or, the communication device may be the terminal device in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or a device or component included in the terminal device, such as a chip; or, the communication device may be the first network device in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect, or a device or component included in the first network device, such as a chip.

[0126] In a tenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a processor, the method described in any of the above aspects is executed.

[0127] In an eleventh aspect, a computer program product is provided. When the computer program product is executed by a processor, the method described in any of the above aspects is executed.

[0128] It can be understood that when the communication device provided in any of the fourth to ninth aspects is a chip, the above-mentioned sending action / function can be understood as outputting information, and the above-mentioned receiving action / function can be understood as inputting information.

[0129] Among them, the technical effects brought by any implementation manner in the fourth to eleventh aspects can refer to the technical effects brought by the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or refer to the technical effects brought by the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or refer to the technical effects brought by the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect, which will not be elaborated here.

[0130] In a twelfth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the second network device described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, the terminal device described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, and the first network device described in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0131] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of different dual-connection scenarios provided in this application;

[0132] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a different radio bearer type provided by this application;

[0133] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of a user plane protocol stack and a control plane protocol stack provided by this application;

[0134] Figure 4 Interaction schematic diagram of deleting a secondary station provided by this application;

[0135] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of deleting a secondary station provided by this application;

[0136] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of a protocol stack corresponding to deleting a secondary station provided by this application;

[0137] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of a handover provided by this application;

[0138] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of a dual-active protocol stack corresponding to a handover provided by this application;

[0139] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of a data transmission rate provided by this application;

[0140] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of a communication system provided by this application;

[0141] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided by this application;

[0142] Figure 12 Interaction schematic diagram of a communication method provided by this application;

[0143] Figure 13 Interaction schematic diagram of a communication method provided by this application;

[0144] Figure 14 Interaction schematic diagram of a communication method provided by this application;

[0145] Figure 15 Schematic diagram of two sets of protocol stacks provided by this application;

[0146] Figure 16 Schematic diagram of two sets of protocol stacks provided by this application;

[0147] Figure 17 Schematic diagram of two sets of protocol stacks provided by this application;

[0148] Figure 18 Schematic diagram of a two - protocol stack provided by this application;

[0149] Figure 19 Interaction schematic diagram of a communication method provided by this application;

[0150] Figure 20 Interaction schematic diagram of a communication method provided by this application;

[0151] Figure 21 Schematic diagram of the structure of a second network device provided by this application;

[0152] Figure 22 Schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device provided by this application;

[0153] Figure 23 Schematic diagram of the structure of a first network device provided by this application;

[0154] Figure 24 Schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided by this application. Detailed implementation manners

[0155] The following describes in detail the implementation manners of the embodiments of this application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the specification.

[0156] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" in this application is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. Among them, A and B can be singular or plural.

[0157] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "a plurality of" means two or more than two. "At least one (item)" or its similar expression refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single item (item) or plural items (items). For example, at least one (item) of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, a - b, a - c, b - c, or a - b - c, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0158] In addition, for the convenience of clearly describing the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, in the embodiments of this application, words such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish the same items or similar items with basically the same functions and roles. Those skilled in the art can understand that the words "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and the words "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit to be different.

[0159] In the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to represent examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design solution described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application should not be construed as being more preferred or having more advantages than other embodiments or design solutions. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present relevant concepts in a specific manner for easy understanding.

[0160] It can be understood that the "embodiments" mentioned throughout the specification mean that specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiments are included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the various embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It can be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the magnitude of the serial numbers of the various processes does not mean the sequence of execution, and the execution sequence of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation to the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0161] It can be understood that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application can, in some scenarios, be implemented independently without relying on other features, such as the current scheme on which they are based, to solve corresponding technical problems and achieve corresponding effects. In some scenarios, they can also be combined with other features according to requirements. Correspondingly, the devices given in the embodiments of the present application can also implement these features or functions accordingly, which will not be elaborated herein.

[0162] In the present application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between various embodiments can be referred to each other. In the various embodiments of the present application, if there is no special description and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referred to, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their internal logical relationships. The embodiments of the present application described below do not constitute a limitation to the protection scope of the present application.

[0163] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, a brief introduction to the related technologies of the present application is first given as follows.

[0164] 1) Dual connectivity (DC) mode

[0165] Among them, the DC mode is an operating mode of the terminal device in the RRC connected state. The DC mode can be understood as the network device configuring a master cell group (MCG) and a secondary cell group (SCG) for the terminal device.

[0166] Among them, the master node (MN) can provide radio access network resources for the terminal device through at least one cell, and the at least one cell can be referred to as the MCG.

[0167] Among them, the secondary node (SN) can provide radio access network resources for the terminal device through at least one cell, and the at least one cell can be referred to as the SCG.

[0168] Among them, there are the following possible combinations in the DC mode:

[0169] The first combination is as follows Figure 1 As shown in (a) below, the core network can be an evolved packet core (EPC), the master node can be a long term evolution (LTE) base station, and the secondary node can be a new radio (NR) base station. This combination can be referred to as the dual connectivity of the evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access network and NR (E-UTRA-NR DC).

[0170] Among them, there is an X2 interface between the LTE base station and the NR base station, with at least a control plane connection, and there may also be a user plane connection; there is an S1 interface between the LTE base station and the EPC, with at least a control plane connection, and there may also be a user plane connection; there is an S1-U interface between the NR base station and the EPC, and there may be a user plane connection.

[0171] It can be understood that the LTE base station can provide radio access network resources for the terminal device through at least one LTE cell, and the at least one LTE cell is called the MCG. Correspondingly, the NR base station can also provide radio access network resources for the terminal device through at least one NR cell, and the at least one NR cell is called the SCG.

[0172] The second combination is as follows Figure 1 As shown in (b) below, the core network can be a fifth generation core (5GC), the master node can be an LTE base station, and the secondary node can be an NR base station.

[0173] Among them, there is an Xn interface between the LTE base station and the NR base station, which has at least a control plane connection and may also have a user plane connection; there is an NG interface between the LTE base station and the 5GC, which has at least a control plane connection and may also have a user plane connection; there is an NG-U interface between the NR base station and the 5GC, which may have a user plane connection.

[0174] It is understandable that an LTE base station can provide air interface resources for a terminal device through at least one LTE cell, and the at least one LTE cell is called an MCG. Correspondingly, an NR base station can also provide air interface resources for a terminal device through at least one NR cell, and the at least one NR cell is called an SCG.

[0175] The third combination is as follows Figure 1 As shown in (c), the core network can be 5GC, the primary station can be an NR base station, and the secondary station can be an LTE base station.

[0176] Among them, there is an Xn interface between the NR base station and the LTE base station, which has at least a control plane connection and may also have a user plane connection; there is an NG interface between the NR base station and the 5GC, which has at least a control plane connection and may also have a user plane connection; there is an NG-U interface between the LTE base station and the 5GC, that is, there can only be a user plane connection.

[0177] It is understandable that the NR base station can provide air interface resources for the terminal device through at least one NR cell, and the at least one NR cell is called MCG. Correspondingly, the LTE base station can also provide air interface resources for the terminal device through at least one LTE cell, and the at least one LTE cell is called SCG.

[0178] The fourth combination is as follows Figure 1 As shown in (d), the core network can be 5GC, and the master station and the auxiliary station can be NR base stations.

[0179] Among them, the interface between the main station and the auxiliary station is the Xn interface, which has at least a control plane connection and may also have a user plane connection; there is an NG interface between the main station and 5GC, which has at least a control plane connection and may also have a user plane connection; there is an NG-U interface between the auxiliary station and 5GC, which may have a user plane connection.

[0180] It is understandable that the primary station can provide air interface resources for the terminal device through at least one NR cell, and the at least one NR cell is called an MCG. Correspondingly, the secondary station can also provide air interface resources for the terminal device through at least one NR cell, and the at least one NR cell is called an SCG.

[0181] It can be understood that the second to fourth combinations can be referred to as multi-radio access technology DC (MR-DC).

[0182] 2), MR-DC architecture

[0183] Among them, the MR-DC architecture can support the following multiple radio bearer types: the MCG bearer terminated at the master station (i.e., the MN terminated MCG bearer), the SCG bearer terminated at the master station (i.e., the MN terminated SCG bearer), the split bearer terminated at the master station (i.e., the MN terminated split bearer), the MCG bearer terminated at the secondary station (i.e., the SN terminated MCG bearer), the SCG bearer terminated at the secondary station (i.e., the SN terminated SCG bearer), and the split bearer terminated at the secondary station (i.e., the SN terminated split bearer).

[0184] Among them, the above multiple radio bearer types can be as follows Figure 2 As shown, the MCG bearer refers to a radio bearer that only involves MCG air interface resources, the SCG bearer refers to a radio bearer that only involves SCG air interface resources, and the split bearer refers to a radio bearer that involves both MCG and SCG air interface resources; master station termination means that the PDCP entity is at the master station, and secondary station termination means that the PDCP entity is at the secondary station.

[0185] Exemplarily, taking the SN terminated split bearer as an example, the network device can send configuration information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device can receive the configuration information from the network device. The configuration information can include one or more of the following: the identification information of the radio bearer and the PDCP configuration information corresponding to the radio bearer, the SCG configuration information, or the MCG configuration information.

[0186] Among them, the PDCP configuration information can be determined by the secondary station. The PDCP configuration information can be used to indicate the discard timer, the sequence length of PDCP, the cell identifier associated with the radio bearer (used to associate the SCG configuration and the MCG configuration), and the configuration related to encryption / integrity protection.

[0187] Among them, the SCG configuration information can be determined by the secondary station. The SCG configuration information can include the underlying RLC bearer configuration information of the secondary station. The SCG configuration information can be used to configure the air interface resources of the radio bearer on the secondary station side.

[0188] Among them, the MCG configuration information can be determined by the master station. The MCG configuration information may include the underlying RLC bearer configuration information of the master station, and the MCG configuration information can be used to configure the radio bearer's air interface resources on the master station side.

[0189] It can be understood that the RLC entity corresponding to the MCG configuration information can be associated with the PDCP entity corresponding to the PDCP configuration information. At the same time, the RLC entity corresponding to the SCG configuration information can be associated with the PDCP entity corresponding to the PDCP configuration information.

[0190] It can be understood that a radio bearer is the general term for a series of protocol entities and configurations allocated by a network device for a terminal device, and it is a service provided by layer 2 for transmitting radio bearer data between the terminal device and the network device, including a series of resources allocated for PDCP entities, RLC entities, media access control (MAC) entities, and physical (PHY) layer entities, etc. The user plane protocol stack and control plane protocol stack of the terminal device can be as follows Figure 3 shown as Figure 3 In (a), it is the user plane protocol stack of the terminal device and the network device. The user plane protocol stack includes PHY layer entities, MAC entities, RLC entities, PDCP entities, and service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) entities; Figure 3 In (b), it is the control plane protocol stack. The control plane protocol stack of the terminal device includes PHY layer entities, MAC entities, RLC entities, PDCP entities, RRC entities, and network attached storage (NAS) entities. The control plane protocol stack of the network device includes PHY layer entities, MAC entities, RLC entities, PDCP entities, and RRC entities. The control plane protocol stack of the access and mobility management function (AMF) network element may include NAS entities.

[0191] Among them, the AMF network element has access and mobility management functions in the core network and performs registration, connection, reachability, and mobility management.

[0192] Optionally, radio bearers can be divided into data radio bearers (DRBs) (i.e., used to carry data) and signalling radio bearers (SRBs) (i.e., used to carry signalling messages).

[0193] It can be understood that in the protocol text, the radio bearer configuration usually includes the configurations of the PDCP layer and the SDAP layer. The protocol entities below the RLC layer can be referred to as RLC bearers, and the corresponding configurations are located in the RLC bearer configuration.

[0194] Among them, the RLC bearer configuration may include: logical channel identifier, radio bearer identifier associated with the RLC bearer, re-establishment flag, RLC transmission mode (such as acknowledged mode (AM) or unacknowledged mode (UM)), logical channel related configurations (such as logical channel priority, priority bit rate, etc.).

[0195] Based on the above descriptions of the DC mode and the MR-DC architecture, when the terminal device sends data of a radio bearer to the network device and requires a high transmission rate for the data of the radio bearer, the network device can configure dual connectivity for the terminal device, especially configure a split bearer, that is, provide transmission services for the terminal device simultaneously through the MCG of the master station and the SCG of the secondary station, thereby improving the data transmission rate. For example, taking the existing DC mode as an example, a split bearer with PDCP terminated at the secondary station is generally configured for the terminal device.

[0196] 3) Process of deleting the secondary station

[0197] Among them, in the DC scenario, the master station or the secondary station can trigger the deletion of the secondary station based on the measurement report of the terminal device. The process of triggering the deletion of the secondary station can be as follows Figure 4 As shown, taking the MR-DC scenario as an example, the specific steps can be as follows:

[0198] S401. The master station sends a secondary station deletion request (release request) message to the secondary station; correspondingly, the secondary station receives the secondary station deletion request message from the master station.

[0199] Among them, the secondary station deletion request message is used to request the release of the secondary station.

[0200] S402. The secondary station sends a secondary station deletion response (acknowledge) message to the master station; correspondingly, the secondary station receives the secondary station deletion response message from the master station.

[0201] Among them, the secondary station deletion response message is used to respond to the secondary station deletion request message.

[0202] It can be understood that when the secondary station receives the secondary station deletion request sent by the master station, it will disconnect the connection with the terminal device, and then send a secondary station deletion response message to the master station to indicate agreement to delete the secondary station.

[0203] S403. The master station sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal device; correspondingly, the terminal device receives the RRC reconfiguration message from the master station.

[0204] Among them, the RRC reconfiguration message is used to instruct the terminal device to release the resources associated with the secondary station (such as radio interface resources, etc., which can also be understood as SCG).

[0205] S404. The terminal device sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the master station; correspondingly, the master station receives the RRC reconfiguration complete message from the terminal device.

[0206] It can be understood that after receiving the RRC reconfiguration message, the terminal device will disconnect the connection with the secondary station and can indicate in the RRC reconfiguration complete message that the terminal device has completed releasing the resources associated with the secondary station.

[0207] S405. The master station sends Xn-U tunnel address information to the secondary station; correspondingly, the secondary station receives the Xn-U tunnel address information from the master station.

[0208] Among them, the Xn-U tunnel address information is used to instruct the secondary station to perform data forwarding (that is, the secondary station can send the data related to the terminal device and the core network device to the master station).

[0209] It can be understood that S405 can also be located after S402.

[0210] S406. The secondary station performs data forwarding.

[0211] Among them, the secondary station can send the data related to the terminal device and the core network device to the master station through the Xn-U tunnel.

[0212] S407. The master station updates the path between the master station and the core network device.

[0213] S408. The secondary station updates the path between the secondary station and the core network device.

[0214] Optionally, when the PDCP entity is at the secondary station and the RLC transmission mode is configured as the acknowledged mode (AM) (that is, a higher reliability requirement for data transmission), the secondary station can also send a status transfer message to the master station; correspondingly, the master station receives the status transfer message from the secondary station.

[0215] Among them, the status transfer message is used to indicate the transmission status of the data of the radio bearer (such as the packet loss situation of the data transmission of the uplink radio bearer).

[0216] It can be understood that the master station can re-establish the PDCP entity according to the status transfer message so that the re-established PDCP entity meets the communication requirements.

[0217] It is understandable that the status transfer message can be located after S404 or after S406, without limitation.

[0218] Optionally, the secondary station can also indicate to the primary station the situation of the data volume of the secondary station, that is, the secondary station sends an auxiliary radio access technology (RAT) data usage report message to the primary station; correspondingly, the primary station receives the auxiliary RAT data usage report message from the secondary station.

[0219] Among them, the auxiliary RAT data usage report message is used to indicate the situation of the data volume of the secondary station.

[0220] It is understandable that the auxiliary RAT data usage report message can be located after S404 or after S406, without limitation.

[0221] Based on the above Figure 4 shown secondary station deletion process, the scenario before the secondary station deletion can be as Figure 5 shown in (a) in which, the secondary station can be connected to the core network, and the terminal device can be connected to the secondary station and the primary station (it can be understood that the secondary station and the primary station provide air interface resources for the terminal device through one or more cells).

[0222] Among them, Figure 5 the protocol stacks of the primary station, secondary station, and terminal device in (a) in which can be as follows Figure 6 shown in (a) in which, the PDCP entity of the secondary station is associated with the RLC entity of the primary station and at the same time with the RLC entity of the secondary station.

[0223] Exemplarily, when the core network device sends data to the terminal device, on the one hand, the data can pass through the PDCP entity of the secondary station, through the RLC entity, MAC entity, and PHY layer entity of the primary station, and then reach the terminal device; on the other hand, the data can pass through the PDCP entity of the secondary station, through the RLC entity, MAC entity, and PHY layer entity of the secondary station, and then reach the terminal device.

[0224] It is understandable that when the secondary station is deleted, the PDCP entity needs to be changed from the secondary station to the primary station. At this time, the key of the PDCP entity will change, and the primary station needs to re-establish the PDCP entity to avoid key confusion. The scenario after the secondary station deletion can be as Figure 5 shown in (b) in which, the primary station can be connected to the core network, and the terminal device can be connected to the primary station (that is, the terminal device disconnects from the secondary station).

[0225] Among them, Figure 5 the protocol stacks of the primary station and the terminal device in (b) in which can be as follows Figure 6as shown in (b) of, compared with Figure 6 in (a), the protocol stack of the master station adds a PDCP entity and an SDAP entity, and the PDCP entity of the master station is associated with the RLC entity of the master station.

[0226] It can be understood that the master station can also re - establish the RLC entity (or change the underlying transmission resources) to avoid the incorrect transmission of data encrypted with the old key.

[0227] 4) Cell handover

[0228] Among them, the source base station can send a handover command to the terminal device; correspondingly, the terminal device can establish a connection with the target cell according to the handover command, thereby realizing handover.

[0229] Among them, the target cell can be the cell corresponding to the source base station (i.e., another cell different from the source cell), or the cell corresponding to the target base station. For the sake of easy understanding, in this application, the cell corresponding to the target base station is called the target cell, and similarly, the cell corresponding to the source base station is called the source cell.

[0230] Among them, in the basic handover process of 5G NR, after receiving the handover command, the terminal device will immediately disconnect the connection with the source cell, resulting in the inability of the terminal device to transmit data with any base station before establishing a connection with the target cell, thus generating a handover interruption delay of about dozens of milliseconds.

[0231] Therefore, in order to reduce the handover terminal delay, the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) proposed the dual active protocol stack (DAPS) handover, as follows Figure 7 As shown, during DAPS handover, the terminal device will maintain the connection of the user plane with the source cell and continue to transmit data with the source cell until the terminal device establishes a connection with the target cell and starts data transmission. DAPS handover requires the UE to be able to transmit data with both the source cell and the target cell within a short period of time.

[0232] For the terminal device, during the DAPS handover process, two active protocol stacks can be configured inside the terminal device. One active protocol stack is used for the transmission of user plane data of the target cell, and the other active protocol stack is used for the transmission of user plane data of the source cell.

[0233] A possible implementation is as follows Figure 8As shown, after receiving the switching command, the terminal device continues to maintain the connection with the protocol stack of the source base station (it can be understood that in the NR basic switching, the terminal device will release the protocol stack with the source base station after receiving the switching command), and establishes a connection with the protocol stack of the target base station according to the wireless resource configuration of the target base station in the switching command.

[0234] Based on the above description of DAPS switching and secondary station deletion, after the secondary station is deleted, the terminal device only communicates through the main station and the core network. At this time, the PDCP entity corresponding to the wireless bearer needs to be on the main station side. Therefore, the main station needs to re-establish the PDCP entity associated with the wireless bearer and associate it with the underlying transmission resources of the main station. Correspondingly, on the terminal device side, it is necessary to re-establish the PDCP entity (or reconfigure the parameters of the PDCP entity) and change the underlying transmission resources. At this time, the terminal device will suspend data processing and transmission of the corresponding wireless bearer, and cause the data transmission rate to approach zero, thereby reducing communication performance.

[0235] For example, the data transmission rate may be as follows: Figure 9 As shown, the data transmission rate before deleting the auxiliary station can be v1 (that is, the data transmission rate corresponding to the time period of 0-T1). When the auxiliary station is deleted (this period can be understood as T1-T2), when the terminal device and the main station configure the wireless bearer, the terminal device will suspend the data processing and transmission of the corresponding wireless bearer, and the data transmission rate will drop sharply from v1 to zero. After the terminal device and the main station complete the configuration of the wireless bearer, the data transmission rate begins to increase and stabilize at v2 (that is, after time T2, the terminal device is only connected to the main station, and the data transmission rate is v2).

[0236] Therefore, the present application can avoid the data transmission rate from dropping as much as possible by configuring two sets of protocol stacks for the wireless bearer of the terminal device during the process of deleting the auxiliary station, thereby improving the communication performance.

[0237] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present application provides a communication method, which includes: a second network device sends a first indication message to a first network device; or the second network device receives the first indication message from the first network device; and sends a first message to a terminal device. The first indication message is used to indicate that a first radio bearer of the terminal device corresponds to two sets of protocol stacks; the first set of protocol stacks corresponds to a first entity of the first network device, and the second set of protocol stacks corresponds to a second entity of the second network device; the first entity and the second entity are used to process data of the first radio bearer; the first message is used to indicate the deletion of the first network device, and the first message is also used to indicate that the first radio bearer corresponds to two sets of protocol stacks; and the terminal device communicates with the first network device and the second network device.

[0238] In an embodiment of the present application, on the one hand, when the first network device sends the first indication information to the second network device, the first network device can determine that the first entity needs to continue processing the data of the first wireless bearer corresponding to the first protocol stack, thereby preventing the first network device from immediately releasing the resources associated with the first entity; or, when the second network device receives the first indication information from the first network device, the second network device can continue to send the first wireless bearer data to the first entity before the second protocol stack is completed. On the other hand, the terminal device can configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first wireless bearer according to the first information, that is, the terminal device can process and transmit the data of the first wireless bearer through the first protocol stack when configuring the second protocol stack, which can avoid the situation where the terminal device suspends processing and transmission of the data of the first wireless bearer as much as possible, thereby improving the performance of communication.

[0239] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be used in various communication systems, which may be 3GPP communication systems, such as fourth generation (4G), LTE, 5G, NR, or a hybrid LTE and 5G network system, or a non-terrestrial network (NTN) system, or a mobile communication system evolved after 5G such as the sixth generation (6G), a vehicle to everything (V2X) system, or a device to device (D2D) communication system, a machine to machine (M2M) communication system, the Internet of Things (IoT), a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), other next-generation communication systems, a perception and communication integrated system, a satellite communication system, etc. The communication system may also be a non-3GPP communication system, such as a wireless local area network (WLAN) system such as wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), without limitation.

[0240] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application can be applied to DC scenarios, that is, the terminal device can establish a connection with two network devices.

[0241] For example, Figure 10The figure shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided by the present application. The communication system may include at least one terminal device, at least two network devices (including at least one primary station (i.e., a second network device) and at least one secondary station (i.e., a first network device)), and at least one core network device.

[0242] Among them, the communication system can complete certain functions, such as synchronization, channel estimation, or perception.

[0243] in, Figure 10 Unless otherwise specified, the terminal device in the present invention may refer to the terminal device itself, a component in the terminal device (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system), or a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the terminal device.

[0244] in, Figure 10 Unless otherwise specified, the term "network device" can refer to the network device itself, a component within the network device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software that implements all or part of the network device's functions. A network device can be either a network device or a terminal device, without limitation.

[0245] in, Figure 10 Unless otherwise specified, the core network device in the core network device can refer to the core network device itself, or a component in the core network device (for example, a processor, chip, or chip system, etc.), or a logical module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the core network device.

[0246] Among them, the terminal device in the embodiment of the present application can be located within the beam / cell coverage of the network device, and the network device can provide communication services for the terminal device.

[0247] The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application may be a device with wireless transceiver functions or a chip or chip system that can be set in the device, which can allow users to access the network and is a device for providing voice and / or data connectivity to users. The terminal device may also be called user equipment (UE), subscriber unit (subscriberunit), terminal (terminal), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc.

[0248] Optionally, the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application may be a user-side device for implementing wireless communication functions, such as a terminal or a chip that can be used in a terminal. Among them, the terminal may be a user equipment (UE), access terminal, terminal unit, terminal station, mobile station, mobile device, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, wireless communication device, terminal agent, or terminal device in a 5G network or a public land mobile network (PLMN) evolved after 5G. The access terminal may be a cellular phone, cordless phone, session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, wireless local loop (WLL) station, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld device with wireless communication function, computing device, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, in-vehicle device, drone, robot, intelligent point of sale (POS) machine, customer-premises equipment (CPE), or wearable device, virtual reality (VR) terminal device, augmented reality (AR) terminal device, wireless terminal in industrial control, wireless terminal in self-driving, wireless terminal in remote medical, wireless terminal in smart grid, wireless terminal in transportation safety, wireless terminal in smart city, wireless terminal in smart home, etc. Alternatively, the terminal may be a terminal with communication function in IoT, such as a terminal in V2X (such as a vehicle-to-everything device), a terminal in D2D communication, or a terminal in M2M communication. The terminal may be mobile or fixed.

[0249] Among them, the network device in the embodiments of the present application may be any device deployed in the access network that can perform wireless communication with the terminal device, or a chip or chip system that can be set in the above device, or a logical node, logical module, or function implemented in software, which can be used to implement functions such as wireless physical control, resource scheduling and wireless resource management, wireless access control, and mobility management. Specifically, the network device may be a device supporting wired access or a device supporting wireless access.

[0250] Optionally, the network device in the embodiments of the present application is a device that connects a terminal device to a wireless network. The network device may be a node in a radio access network (RAN), or may be a base station, which may be referred to as a radio access network node (or device).

[0251] For example, the network device may include an evolved Node B (NodeB or eNB or e-NodeB, evolutional Node B) in an LTE system or an enhanced LTE (LTE-advanced, LTE-A) system, such as a traditional macro eNB and a micro eNB in a heterogeneous network scenario. Or, it may include a next generation node B (gNB) in an NR system. Or, it may include a transmission reception point (TRP), a home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), a base band unit (BBU), a base band pool (BBUpool), or a Wi-Fi access point (AP), etc. Or, it may include a base station in NTN, that is, it may be deployed on a flying platform or a satellite. In NTN, the network device may act as a layer 1 (L1) relay, or may act as a base station, or may act as an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node. Or, the network device may be a device that implements base station functions in IoT, such as a device that implements base station functions in drone communication, V2X, D2D, or machine to machine (M2M).

[0252] The network device can also be a module or unit capable of implementing some functions of the base station. For example, the network device can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. 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 included in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0253] In different systems, the 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, the network device can be a network device or a module of a network device in an open radio access network (ORAN) system. In the ORAN system, the CU can also be called an open (O)-CU, the DU can also be called an O-DU, the CU-CP can also be called an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be called an O-CU-UP, and the RU can also be called an O-RU. Any one of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0254] Optionally, the base station in the embodiments of this application can include various forms of base stations, such as: macro base stations, micro base stations (also called small stations), relay stations, access points, home base stations, TRPs, transmitting points (TPs), or mobile switching centers, etc. The embodiments of this application do not make specific limitations in this regard.

[0255] Among them, the main function of the core network is to provide user connections, user management, and service bearer, and can provide an interface to the external network as a bearer network.

[0256] Among them, the core network device in the embodiments of this application can be a core network device in the EPC, can be a core network device in the 5GC, can be a core network device in the 6G core network, or can also be a core network device in the next-generation core network, without limitation.

[0257] Exemplarily, the core network device may be a network exposure function (NEF) network element, an AMF network element, a user plane function (UPF) network element, etc.

[0258] Among them, the NEF network element is located between the core network and external third-party application functions, and is responsible for managing all external applications that access network data externally. If an external application wants to access the internal data of the core network, it needs to go through the NEF network element.

[0259] Among them, the UPF network element is mainly responsible for functions related to the routing and forwarding of 5GC user plane data packets.

[0260] It should be noted that the communication system described in the embodiments of the present application is for more clearly explaining the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. Those of ordinary skill in the art know that with the evolution of the network architecture and the emergence of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are equally applicable to similar technical problems.

[0261] In specific implementation, Figure 10 As shown, each terminal device, network device, and core network device can adopt Figure 11 the shown composition structure, or include Figure 11 the shown components. Figure 11 FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device 110 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 110 may be a terminal device, a chip or a system-on-chip in a terminal device; it may also be a network device, a chip or a system-on-chip in a network device; it may also be a core network device or a chip or a system-on-chip in a core network device.

[0262] As Figure 11 shown, the communication device 110 includes one or more processors 1101. Further, the communication device 110 may further include a communication bus 1102, and at least one communication interface ( Figure 11 only exemplary in this case, taking the communication device 110 including a communication interface 1104 and one processor 1101 as an example for illustration). Optionally, the communication device 110 may further include a memory 1103.

[0263] The processor 1101 can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the solution of the present application, or a processing core for processing data (such as computer program instructions). The processor can be a single-CPU processor or a multi-CPU processor.

[0264] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 1101 can include one or more CPUs, such as Figure 11 CPU0 and CPU1 in

[0265] The communication bus 1102 can be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. This bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For the sake of representation, Figure 11 only a thick line is used to represent it in

[0266] The communication interface 1104 can be a transceiver module for communicating with other devices or communication networks. Such a communication network can be, for example, Ethernet, a radio access network (RAN), or a wireless local area network (WLAN), etc. Exemplarily, the communication interface 1104 can be a device such as a transceiver or a transceiver. Alternatively, the communication interface 1104 can also be a transceiver circuit located within the processor 1101 to implement the signal input and signal output of the processor.

[0267] The memory 1103 can be a device with storage functions. For example, it can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, or it can also be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory can exist independently and be connected to the processor via the communication bus 1102. The memory can also be integrated with the processor.

[0268] Exemplarily, the memory 1103 is used to store computer-executable instructions for executing the solution of this application, and is controlled by the processor 1101 for execution. The processor 1101 is used to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 1103, thereby implementing the method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0269] Alternatively, optionally, in the embodiments of this application, it can also be that the processor 1101 executes the functions related to processing in the methods provided in the following embodiments of this application, and the communication interface 1104 is responsible for communicating with other devices or communication networks. The embodiments of this application do not make specific limitations in this regard.

[0270] Optionally, the computer-executable instructions in the embodiments of this application can also be referred to as application program code. The embodiments of this application do not make specific limitations in this regard.

[0271] In a specific implementation, as an example, the communication device 110 may further include an output device 1105 and an input device 1106. The output device 1105 communicates with the processor 1101 and can display information in various ways. For example, the output device 1105 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector, etc. The input device 1106 communicates with the processor 1101 and can receive user input in various ways. For example, the input device 1106 may be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensing device, etc.

[0272] It should be noted that Figure 11 the component structure shown in Figure 11 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. In addition to

[0273] the components shown, the communication device may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0274] As Figure 12 shown, it is an interaction diagram of a communication method provided by the present application. This communication method is described by taking the interaction between a second network device, a terminal device, and a first network device as an example. Of course, the entity that performs the actions of the second network device in this method may also be a device / module in the second network device, such as a chip, a processor, a processing unit, etc. in the second network device; the entity that performs the actions of the terminal device in this method may also be a device / module in the terminal device, such as a chip, a processor, a processing unit, etc. in the terminal device; the entity that performs the actions of the first network device in this method may also be a device / module in the first network device, such as a chip, a processor, a processing unit, etc. in the first network device. The present application embodiments do not make specific limitations on this. The steps performed by a single execution entity (for example, the second network device, the terminal device, or the first network device) in the present application embodiments may also be divided into steps performed by multiple execution entities, and these execution entities may be logically and / or physically separated. Exemplarily, referring to Figure 12 this communication method includes the following steps:

[0275] S1201. The second network device sends first indication information to the first network device; correspondingly, the first network device receives the first indication information from the second network device.

[0276] Wherein, the first indication information in S1201 is used to indicate that the first radio bearer of the terminal device corresponds to a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack.

[0277] It can be understood that the first indication information only indicates that the first radio bearer of the terminal device corresponds to at least two protocol stacks (such as a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack), and does not indicate the relevant configuration information of the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack.

[0278] It can be understood that the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack corresponding to the first radio bearer can be at least two protocol stacks corresponding to the first radio bearer (such as two protocol stacks corresponding to the first radio bearer), and there is no restriction on the data of the specific protocol stack.

[0279] In one example, taking the first indication information as one bit, when the bit value is 1, it can indicate that the first radio bearer of the terminal device corresponds to a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack (it can be understood that while establishing a new protocol stack, the original protocol stack is maintained for data transmission); when the bit value is 0, it can indicate that the first radio bearer of the terminal device corresponds to the second protocol stack (it can be understood that while establishing a new protocol stack, the original protocol stack is released). Or, when the bit value is 0, it can indicate that the first radio bearer of the terminal device corresponds to a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack; when the bit value is 1, it can indicate that the first radio bearer of the terminal device corresponds to the second protocol stack.

[0280] In another example, when the second network device does not send the first indication information, the first network device directly releases the resources associated with the terminal device. For example, taking the first indication information as one bit, when the bit value is 1, it can indicate that the first radio bearer of the terminal device corresponds to a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack; or, when the bit value is 0, it can indicate that the first radio bearer of the terminal device corresponds to a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack.

[0281] It can be understood that the first network device can be a secondary station, and the second network device can be a primary station.

[0282] Exemplarily, before sending the first indication information, the protocol stack of the second network device may include a PHY layer entity, a MAC entity, and an RLC entity, and the protocol stack of the first network device may include a PHY layer entity, a MAC entity, an RLC entity, a PDCP entity, and an SDAP entity. The PDCP entity of the first network device may be associated with the RLC entity of the first network device and the RLC entity of the second network device. For example, when the terminal device sends data of the first radio bearer to the core network, the data of the first radio bearer may reach the PDCP entity of the first network device through the RLC entity of the first network device and the RLC entity of the second network device. Further, the data of the first radio bearer may reach the core network through the PDCP entity of the first network device.

[0283] Among them, the first set of protocol stacks in S1201 corresponds to the first entity of the first network device, and the second set of protocol stacks corresponds to the second entity of the second network device.

[0284] Among them, the first entity and the second entity are used to process the data of the first radio bearer.

[0285] Optionally, the first entity may be a packet data convergence protocol entity (such as the first PDCP entity) of the first network device, or the first entity may be a functional unit of the packet data convergence protocol of the first network device, or the first entity may be an entity of the first network device with packet data convergence protocol function, without limitation.

[0286] Optionally, the second entity may be a packet data convergence protocol entity (such as the second PDCP entity) of the second network device, or the second entity may be a functional unit of the packet data convergence protocol of the second network device, or the second entity may be an entity of the second network device with packet data convergence protocol function, without limitation.

[0287] Optionally, after receiving the first indication information, the first network device may configure the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks of the first radio bearer of the terminal device, or may not configure the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks of the first radio bearer of the terminal device. The second network device may determine whether the first network device configures the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks of the first radio bearer of the terminal device through the second indication information.

[0288] Specifically, the first network device sends the second indication information to the second network device; correspondingly, the second network device receives the second indication information from the first network device.

[0289] Among them, the second indication information is used to indicate the configuration of the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks associated with the first radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0290] In one example, taking the second indication information as one bit, when the bit value is 1, it may indicate that the first network device configures the first radio bearer of the terminal device to be associated with the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack; when the bit value is 0, it may indicate that the first network device does not configure the first radio bearer of the terminal device to be associated with the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack. Alternatively, when the bit value is 0, it may indicate that the first network device configures the first radio bearer of the terminal device to be associated with the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack; when the bit value is 1, it may indicate that the first network device does not configure the first radio bearer of the terminal device to be associated with the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack.

[0291] In another example, when the first network device does not send the second indication information, the second network device may default that the first network device configures the first radio bearer of the terminal device to be associated with the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack. For example, taking the second indication information as one bit, when the bit value is 1, it may indicate that the first network device does not configure the first radio bearer of the terminal device to be associated with the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack; or, when the bit value is 0, it may indicate that the first network device does not configure the first radio bearer of the terminal device to be associated with the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack.

[0292] Furthermore, when the first network device does not configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device, the second indication information may also be used to indicate the reason for not configuring the first radio bearer of the terminal device to be associated with the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack.

[0293] It can be understood that the first network device can, through the second indication information, instruct the second network device to determine whether the first network device configures the first radio bearer of the terminal device to be associated with the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack, and at the same time can also indicate the reason for the failure, thereby improving the efficiency of information interaction between the first network device and the second network device.

[0294] It can be understood that the first indication information can be sent by the second network device or by the first network device.

[0295] Specifically, the first network device sends the first indication information to the second network device; correspondingly, the second network device receives the first indication information from the first network device.

[0296] Among them, the first indication information can refer to the above description of the first indication information and will not be elaborated here.

[0297] Optionally, after receiving the first indication information, the second network device may configure a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device, or may not configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device. The second indication information may be used to enable the first network device to determine whether the second network device configures the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack associated with the first radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0298] Specifically, the second network device sends the second indication information to the first network device; correspondingly, the first network device receives the second indication information from the second network device.

[0299] Wherein, the second indication information is used to indicate the configuration of the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack associated with the first radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0300] Furthermore, when the second network device does not configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device, the second indication information may also be used to indicate the reason for not configuring the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack associated with the first radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0301] It can be understood that the second network device can use the second indication information to enable the first network device to determine whether the second network device configures the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack associated with the first radio bearer of the terminal device, and at the same time can also indicate the reason for the failure, thereby improving the efficiency of information interaction between the first network device and the second network device.

[0302] Optionally, the first indication information may also indicate the identification information of the first radio bearer.

[0303] Exemplarily, the identification information of the first radio bearer may be the number of the radio bearer or the index of the radio bearer, such as 1, 2, 3, ….

[0304] For example, taking the identification information of the first radio bearer as two bits, when the bit value is 00, it may indicate that the number of the first radio bearer is 0, and the first radio bearer with the number 0 corresponds to the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack; when the bit value is 01, it may indicate that the number of the first radio bearer is 1, and the first radio bearer with the number 1 corresponds to the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack; when the bit value is 10, it may indicate that the number of the first radio bearer is 2, and the first radio bearer with the number 2 corresponds to the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack; when the bit value is 11, it may indicate that the number of the first radio bearer is 3, and the first radio bearer with the number 3 corresponds to the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack.

[0305] Optionally, the second network device may pre-configure an NG-U tunnel. Further, the second network device may send data of the first radio bearer to the core network device through the NG-U tunnel.

[0306] S1202. The second network device sends the first information to the terminal device; correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first information from the second network device.

[0307] Wherein, the first information is used to indicate the deletion of the first network device, and the first information is also used to indicate that the first radio bearer corresponds to the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack.

[0308] Wherein, the terminal device communicates with the first network device and the second network device.

[0309] Wherein, deleting the first network device may be understood as the first network device disconnecting from the second network device and the terminal device, or deleting the first network device may be understood as the terminal device disconnecting from the first network device and the second network device disconnecting from the first network device, or deleting the first network device may also be understood as the first network device not participating in the communication between the terminal device and the core network.

[0310] In a possible embodiment, taking the first information as two bits (the first bit represents deleting the first network device, and the second bit represents the terminal device configuring the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer) as an example, when the bit value is 11, it may represent deleting the first network device, and the terminal device may configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer; when the bit value is 10, it may represent deleting the first network device, and the terminal device may not configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer; when the bit value is 01, it may represent not deleting the first network device, and the terminal device may configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer; when the bit value is 00, it may represent not deleting the first network device, and the terminal device may not configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer.

[0311] Optionally, the first information may be located in an RRC message (such as an RRC configuration message or an RRC reconfiguration message), or may be transmitted separately, without limitation.

[0312] Optionally, the second network device may also indicate the relevant configuration information for the terminal device to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack.

[0313] Wherein, the configuration information may be one or more of the following: first configuration information, second configuration information, or third configuration information.

[0314] 1). First configuration information

[0315] Among them, the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to establish a first functional unit corresponding to the second protocol stack, and the first functional unit corresponds to the second entity; or, the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to configure a first functional unit corresponding to the second protocol stack, and the first functional unit corresponds to the second entity.

[0316] It can be understood that when the first configuration information instructs the terminal device to establish a first functional unit corresponding to the second protocol stack, there may be a first functional unit and a second functional unit, and the first functional unit and the second functional unit are two different entities.

[0317] Among them, the first functional unit (or the second functional unit) may be a packet data convergence protocol entity, or the first functional unit (or the second functional unit) may be an entity with packet data convergence protocol function.

[0318] Or, when the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to configure a first functional unit corresponding to the second protocol stack, there may be a first functional unit and a second functional unit, and the first functional unit and the second functional unit are located in the same entity.

[0319] Among them, the first functional unit (or the second functional unit) may be a functional unit of a packet data convergence protocol functional entity, or the first functional unit (or the second functional unit) may be a set of configurations of a packet data convergence protocol entity.

[0320] It can be understood that the first functional unit can be used to process the data of the first radio bearer corresponding to the second entity, and the second functional unit can be used to process the data of the first radio bearer corresponding to the first entity.

[0321] It can be understood that the first configuration information can be transmitted separately or carried in the first information, without limitation.

[0322] Specifically, the second network device sends the first configuration information to the terminal device; correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first configuration information from the second network device.

[0323] Optionally, the first configuration information may also indicate the identification information of the first radio bearer.

[0324] Among them, the identification information of the first radio bearer can specifically refer to the description of the identification information of the first radio bearer in the above S1201, and will not be elaborated here.

[0325] 2), the second configuration information

[0326] Among them, the second configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to establish a first bearer in the second protocol stack; the first bearer is associated with the first functional unit; or, the second configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to release the association relationship between the second bearer corresponding to the second network device and the second functional unit; or, the second configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to release the association relationship between the second bearer corresponding to the second network device and the second functional unit, and at the same time instruct to configure the association between the second bearer and the first functional unit.

[0327] Among them, the second functional unit corresponds to the first entity.

[0328] Among them, the first bearer (or the second bearer) can be the radio resource control entity (such as the RLC entity) of the terminal device, or can be the entity of the terminal device with radio resource control function, without limitation.

[0329] Among them, the first bearer can be understood as a newly established entity of the terminal device, and the second bearer can be understood as an original entity of the terminal device.

[0330] It can be understood that when the second configuration information instructs the terminal device to establish a first bearer corresponding to the second protocol stack, the first bearer can be associated with the first functional unit (the first bearer can be understood as the underlying layer of the first functional unit, that is, the first bearer can transmit the data of the first radio bearer corresponding to the first functional unit), and at this time the second bearer can be associated with the second functional unit (the second bearer can be understood as the underlying layer of the second functional unit, that is, the second bearer can transmit the data of the first radio bearer corresponding to the second functional unit).

[0331] Among them, the second configuration information can be transmitted alone or carried in the first information, without limitation.

[0332] Specifically, the second network device sends the second configuration information to the terminal device; correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second configuration information from the second network device.

[0333] 3), the third configuration information

[0334] Among them, the third configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to establish a third bearer corresponding to the first protocol stack; the third bearer is associated with the second functional unit; or, the third configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to configure a fourth bearer corresponding to the first protocol stack; the fourth bearer is associated with the second functional unit.

[0335] Among them, the second functional unit corresponds to the first entity.

[0336] It can be understood that the fourth bearer is the bearer corresponding to the original first protocol stack of the terminal device, and the third bearer is the bearer corresponding to the newly established first protocol stack of the terminal device.

[0337] The third bearer or the fourth bearer may be a radio resource control entity (such as an RLC entity) of the terminal device, or an entity of the terminal device with a radio resource control function, without limitation.

[0338] The third bearer or the fourth bearer may be understood as the bottom layer of the second functional unit, that is, the third bearer or the fourth bearer may transmit data of the first radio bearer corresponding to the second functional unit.

[0339] It is understandable that by establishing a third bearer, the terminal device can avoid as much as possible the situation where the terminal device suspends processing and transmitting data of the first wireless bearer when the terminal device configures the second protocol stack, thereby improving communication performance.

[0340] The third configuration information may be transmitted separately or carried in the first information without limitation.

[0341] Specifically, the second network device sends the third configuration information to the terminal device; correspondingly, the terminal device receives the third configuration information from the second network device.

[0342] S1203: The terminal device configures the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack according to the first information.

[0343] It can be understood that the terminal device can configure a first set of protocol stacks and a second set of protocol stacks for the first wireless bearer, the first set of protocol stacks is used to transmit and process data of the first wireless bearer corresponding to the first entity, and the second set of protocol stacks is used to transmit and process data of the first wireless bearer corresponding to the second entity.

[0344] For example, during downlink data transmission, the terminal device can receive downlink data from the bottom layers of the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack (the downlink data corresponding to the bottom layer of the first protocol stack can be called first data, and the downlink data corresponding to the bottom layer of the first protocol stack can be called second data). Furthermore, the first functional unit can encrypt and secure the first data, and the second functional unit can encrypt and secure the second data.

[0345] based on Figure 12The communication method shown, on the one hand, when the first network device sends the first indication information to the second network device, the first network device can determine that the first entity needs to continue processing the data of the first wireless bearer corresponding to the first set of protocol stacks, so that the first network device does not immediately release the resources associated with the first entity; or, when the second network device receives the first indication information from the first network device, the second network device can continue to send the first wireless bearer data to the first entity before the second set of protocol stacks is completed. On the other hand, the terminal device can configure the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks of the first wireless bearer according to the first information, that is, the terminal device can process and transmit the data of the first wireless bearer through the first set of protocol stacks when configuring the second set of protocol stacks, which can avoid the situation where the terminal device suspends processing and transmission of data of the first wireless bearer as much as possible, thereby improving the performance of communication.

[0346] Based on S1201, optionally, the second network device may newly establish a sixth bearer to associate the sixth bearer with the second entity; or, the second network device may configure a fifth bearer (an existing bearer) to associate the fifth bearer with the second entity, without limitation.

[0347] The second network device may determine the bearer associated with the second entity according to the instruction information of the first network device, or may determine the bearer associated with the second entity by itself.

[0348] In a possible implementation, the second network device may determine the bearer associated with the second entity according to an instruction of the first network device.

[0349] Specifically, the first network device sends the third indication information to the second network device; correspondingly, the second network device receives the third indication information from the first network device.

[0350] The third indication information is used to indicate the release of the association relationship between the first entity and the fifth bearer in the second network device.

[0351] In one example, taking the third indication information as one bit, when the bit value is 1, it may indicate that the first network device releases the association relationship between the first entity and the fifth bearer; when the bit value is 0, it may indicate that the first network device does not release the association relationship between the first entity and the fifth bearer. Alternatively, when the bit value is 0, it may indicate that the first network device releases the association relationship between the first entity and the fifth bearer; when the bit value is 1, it may indicate that the first network device does not release the association relationship between the first entity and the fifth bearer.

[0352] In another example, when the first network device does not send the third indication information to the second network device, the second network device may default that the first network device does not release the association between the first entity and the fifth bearer. For example, taking the third indication information as a single bit, when the bit value is 1, it may indicate that the first network device releases the association between the first entity and the fifth bearer; or, when the bit value is 0, it may indicate that the first network device releases the association between the first entity and the fifth bearer.

[0353] It can be understood that the third indication information can also indicate the radio bearer type, that is, the third indication information can indicate the association between the first entity of the first network device and the bearer (such as the RLC entity) of the first network device.

[0354] Furthermore, the second network device can determine whether the first network device releases the association between the first entity and the fifth bearer according to the third indication information. When the first network device releases the association between the first entity and the fifth bearer, the second network device can configure the fifth bearer so that the fifth bearer is associated with the second entity; when the first network device does not release the association between the first entity and the fifth bearer, the second network device can establish a sixth bearer so that the sixth bearer is associated with the second entity.

[0355] Another possible implementation is that the second network device can determine the bearer associated with the second entity.

[0356] Specifically, the second network device sends the third indication information to the first network device; correspondingly, the first network device receives the third indication information from the second network device.

[0357] Among them, the third indication information can refer to the above description of the third indication information and will not be elaborated here.

[0358] It can be understood that when the second network device determines to configure the fifth bearer, the second network device can, through the third indication information, instruct the first network device to release the association between the first entity and the fifth bearer; when the second network device determines to establish the sixth bearer, the second network device can, through the third indication information, instruct the first network device not to release the association between the first entity and the fifth bearer.

[0359] Based on the above description of the third indication information, the second network device and the first network device can determine that the first network device releases the association between the first entity and the fifth bearer according to the third indication information. Furthermore, the second network device does not need to re - establish the sixth bearer, so that the second entity and the fifth bearer can be associated, which can align the first network device and the second network device and improve resource utilization.

[0360] Based on Figure 12For the communication method shown, the second network device may determine whether to send the first indication information based on whether the first network device supports configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device and / or whether the terminal device supports the ability to configure a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for the first radio bearer. The specific steps for the second network device to obtain the capability information of the first network device or the terminal device may be as follows Figure 13 shown as

[0361] S1301. The first network device sends first capability information to the second network device; correspondingly, the second network device receives the first capability information from the first network device.

[0362] Among them, the first capability information is used to indicate that the first network device supports configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0363] It can be understood that the first capability information may indicate that the first network device supports configuring at least two protocol stacks for any radio bearer of the terminal device, that is, for any radio bearer of the terminal device, the first network device supports configuring at least two protocol stacks (the at least two protocol stacks can be understood as the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack, or each protocol stack in the at least two protocol stacks can be understood as any protocol stack).

[0364] In one example, taking the first capability information as one bit, when the bit value is 1, it may indicate that the first network device supports configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device; when the bit value is 0, it may indicate that the first network device does not support configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device. Or, when the bit value is 0, it may indicate that the first network device supports configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device; when the bit value is 1, it may indicate that the first network device does not support configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0365] In another example, when the first network device does not send the first capability information, the second network device may default that the first network device does not support configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device. For example, taking the first capability information as one bit, when the bit value is 1, it may indicate that the first network device supports configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device; or, when the bit value is 0, it may indicate that the first network device supports configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0366] It is understandable that the first network device may actively send the first capability information to the second network device, or may send the first capability information after the second network device requests it.

[0367] S1301a. The second network device sends a first request message to the first network device. Correspondingly, the first network device receives the first request message from the second network device.

[0368] The first request information is used to request the first network device to support the ability to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0369] Based on S1301 and S1301a, on the one hand, it is possible to avoid as much as possible the situation where the second network device instructs the first network device to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for the first wireless bearer of the terminal device, but the first network device is unable to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for the first wireless bearer of the terminal device, thereby reducing resource waste and improving the efficiency of information interaction between the first network device and the second network device; on the other hand, compared with the second network device sending the first request information and then receiving the first capability information from the first network device, the second network device can directly receive the first capability information from the first network device, thereby reducing transmission overhead.

[0370] S1302. The terminal device sends third capability information to the second network device; correspondingly, the second network device receives the third capability information from the terminal device.

[0371] The third capability information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for configuring the first radio bearer.

[0372] It can be understood that the third capability information can indicate that the terminal device supports configuring at least two protocol stacks for any wireless bearer, that is, the terminal device can support configuring at least two protocol stacks for any bearer (the at least two protocol stacks can be understood as the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack, or each of the at least two protocol stacks can be understood as any protocol stack).

[0373] In one example, taking the third capability information as one bit, when the bit value is 1, it may indicate that the terminal device supports configuring the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer; when the bit value is 0, it may indicate that the terminal device does not support configuring the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer. Alternatively, when the bit value is 0, it may indicate that the terminal device supports configuring the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer; when the bit value is 1, it may indicate that the terminal device does not support configuring the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer.

[0374] In another example, when the terminal device does not send the third capability information, the second network device may assume that the terminal device does not support the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for configuring the first radio bearer. For example, taking the third capability information as one bit, when the bit value is 1, it may indicate that the terminal device supports the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for configuring the first radio bearer; or when the bit value is 0, it may indicate that the terminal device supports the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for configuring the first radio bearer.

[0375] It is understandable that the terminal device may actively send the third capability information to the second network device, or may send the third capability information after the second network device requests it.

[0376] S1302a. The second network device sends third request information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the third request information from the second network device.

[0377] The third request information is used to request the terminal device to support the capability of configuring the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer.

[0378] Based on S1302 and S1302a, on the one hand, the situation in which the second network device instructs the terminal device to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first wireless bearer, but the terminal device is unable to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first wireless bearer can be avoided as much as possible, thereby reducing resource waste and improving the efficiency of information interaction between the terminal device and the second network device; on the other hand, compared with the second network device sending the third request information and then receiving the third capability information from the terminal device, the second network device can directly receive the third capability information from the terminal device, which can reduce transmission overhead.

[0379] It is understandable that the order of the above S1301 and S1302 is not specific.

[0380] Based on the above Figure 13 In the communication method shown, the second network device may determine to send the first indication information to the first network device based on the first capability information and / or the third capability information.

[0381] based on Figure 12 In the communication method shown, the first network device can determine whether to send the first indication information based on whether the second network device supports the ability to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device (and / or whether the terminal device supports the ability to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer). The specific steps for the first network device to obtain the capability information of the second network device or the terminal device can be as follows Figure 14 As shown:

[0382] S1401. The second network device sends second capability information to the first network device; correspondingly, the first network device receives the second capability information from the second network device.

[0383] Among them, the second capability information is used to indicate that the second network device supports configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for a first radio bearer of a terminal device.

[0384] It can be understood that the second capability information can indicate that the second network device supports configuring at least two protocol stacks for any radio bearer of the terminal device, that is, for any radio bearer of the terminal device, the second network device supports configuring at least two protocol stacks (the at least two protocol stacks can be understood as the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack, or each protocol stack in the at least two protocol stacks can be understood as any protocol stack).

[0385] In one example, taking the second capability information as one bit, when the bit value is 1, it can indicate that the second network device supports configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for a first radio bearer of the terminal device; when the bit value is 0, it can indicate that the second network device does not support configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for a first radio bearer of the terminal device. Or, when the bit value is 0, it can indicate that the second network device supports configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for a first radio bearer of the terminal device; when the bit value is 1, it can indicate that the second network device does not support configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for a first radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0386] In another example, when the second network device does not send third capability information, the first network device can default that the second network device does not support configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for a first radio bearer of the terminal device. For example, taking the second capability information as one bit, when the bit value is 1, it can indicate that the second network device supports configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for a first radio bearer of the terminal device; when the bit value is 0, it can indicate that the second network device supports configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for a first radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0387] It can be understood that the second network device can actively send the second capability information to the first network device, or send the second capability information after being requested by the first network device:

[0388] S1401a. The first network device sends second request information to the second network device; correspondingly, the second network device receives the second request information from the first network device.

[0389] Among them, the second request information is used to request to obtain the capability of the second network device to support configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for a first radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0390] Based on S1401 and S1401a, on the one hand, it is possible to avoid, as much as possible, the situation where the first network device instructs the second network device to configure a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device, but the second network device does not have the ability to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device. This can reduce resource waste and improve the efficiency of information interaction between the first network device and the second network device. On the other hand, compared with the first network device receiving the second capability information from the second network device after sending the second request information, the first network device can directly receive the second capability information from the second network device, which can reduce the transmission overhead.

[0391] S1402. The second network device sends third capability information to the first network device; correspondingly, the first network device receives the third capability information from the second network device.

[0392] Among them, the third capability information can refer to the description of the third capability information in S1302 above, and will not be elaborated here.

[0393] Among them, the method for the second network device to obtain the information of the third capability can refer to S1302a and S1302 above, and will not be elaborated here.

[0394] It can be understood that the first network device can receive the third capability information from the second network device, providing another feasible solution for the first network device to obtain the third capability information.

[0395] It can be understood that the order of S1401 and S1402 is not in sequence.

[0396] Different from S1402, the second network device can also directly obtain the third capability information from the terminal device:

[0397] S1403. The terminal device sends third capability information to the first network device; correspondingly, the first network device receives the third capability information from the terminal device.

[0398] It can be understood that the terminal device can actively send the third capability information to the first network device, or send the third capability information after being requested by the first network device:

[0399] S1403a. The first network device sends third request information to the terminal device; correspondingly, the terminal device receives the third request information from the first network device.

[0400] It can be understood that the order of S1401 and S1403 is not in sequence.

[0401] Based on S1402, S1403, and S1403a, on the one hand, it is possible to avoid, as much as possible, the situation where the first network device instructs the terminal device to configure the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks for the first radio bearer, but the terminal device does not have the ability to configure the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks for the first radio bearer, which can reduce resource waste and improve the efficiency of information interaction between the terminal device and the first network device; on the other hand, compared with the first network device receiving the third capability information from the terminal device after sending the third request information, the first network device can directly receive the third capability information from the terminal device, which can reduce the transmission overhead.

[0402] Based on the above Figure 14 In the communication method shown, the first network device can determine to send the first indication information to the second network device according to the second capability information and / or the third capability information.

[0403] Based on the above Figures 12 - 14 Regarding the description of configuring the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks for the first radio bearer in the communication method shown above, three possible implementations are proposed in this application.

[0404] Among them, before the terminal device configures the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks for the first radio bearer, the protocol stack of the second network device may include a second RLC entity (i.e., the fifth bearer), a second MAC entity, and a second PHY layer entity, and the protocol stack of the first network device may include a first SDAP entity, a first PDCP entity (i.e., the first entity), a first RLC entity, a first MAC entity, and a first PHY layer entity, and the first PDCP entity is associated with the second RLC entity.

[0405] For the first possible implementation, the second network device may instruct the terminal device to establish a first functional unit and a first bearer, and the first functional unit is associated with the first bearer. Two possible embodiments are proposed in this application:

[0406] In one possible embodiment, before the terminal device configures the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks for the first radio bearer, the first set of protocol stacks of the terminal device may be as shown in (a) below Figure 15 The data of the first radio bearer can pass through the second RLC entity and the first RLC entity and reach the first PDCP entity, and then can be sent to the core network through the first PDCP entity; when the terminal device configures the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks for the first radio bearer, the protocol stack of the first network device, the protocol stack of the second network device, and the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks of the first radio bearer of the terminal device may be as shown in (b) below Figure 15 shown.

[0407] Among them, the first protocol stack of the terminal device is the protocol stack outside the dashed box in the terminal device, and the second protocol stack of the terminal device is the protocol stack inside the dashed box in the terminal device. The second protocol stack may include a fourth PDCP entity (i.e., the first functional unit) and a sixth RLC entity (i.e., the first bearer), and the fourth PDCP entity is associated with the sixth RLC entity.

[0408] Among them, the second network device establishes a second PDCP entity and simultaneously establishes a fifth RLC entity (i.e., the sixth bearer). The second PDCP entity is associated with the fifth RLC entity; in addition, the second RLC entity is still associated with the first PDCP entity.

[0409] Among them, the protocol stack configuration of the first network device remains unchanged, and the first PDCP entity is still associated with the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity.

[0410] It can be understood that when the terminal device configures the second protocol stack, the data of the first radio bearer can continue to pass through the second RLC entity and the first RLC entity and reach the first PDCP entity.

[0411] In another possible embodiment, before the terminal device configures the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer, the first protocol stack of the terminal device may be as follows Figure 16 shown in (a) below. The data of the first radio bearer only passes through the second RLC entity, reaches the first PDCP entity, and can then be sent to the core network through the first PDCP entity. When the terminal device configures the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer, the protocol stack of the first network device, the protocol stack of the second network device, and the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer of the terminal device may be as follows Figure 16 shown in (b) below.

[0412] Among them, the first protocol stack of the terminal device is the protocol stack outside the dashed box in the terminal device, and the second protocol stack of the terminal device is the protocol stack inside the dashed box in the terminal device. The second protocol stack may include a fourth PDCP entity (i.e., the first functional unit) and a sixth RLC entity (i.e., the first bearer), and the fourth PDCP entity is associated with the sixth RLC entity.

[0413] Among them, the second network device establishes a second PDCP entity and simultaneously establishes a fifth RLC entity (i.e., the sixth bearer). The second PDCP entity is associated with the fifth RLC entity; in addition, the second RLC entity is still associated with the first PDCP entity.

[0414] Among them, the protocol stack configuration of the first network device remains unchanged, and the first PDCP entity is still associated with the second RLC entity.

[0415] It can be understood that when the terminal device configures the second protocol stack, the data of the first radio bearer can continue to pass through the second RLC entity and reach the first PDCP entity.

[0416] In a second possible implementation, the second network device may instruct the terminal device to configure the first functional unit and the second bearer, and the first functional unit and the second bearer are associated.

[0417] In a possible embodiment, before the terminal device configures the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer, the first protocol stack of the terminal device may be as follows Figure 17 as shown in (a) below. The data of the first radio bearer can pass through the second RLC entity and the first RLC entity and reach the first PDCP entity, and then can be sent to the core network through the first PDCP entity. When the terminal device configures the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer, the protocol stacks of the first network device, the second network device, and the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer of the terminal device may be as follows Figure 17 as shown in (b) below.

[0418] Among them, the first protocol stack of the terminal device may include the second functional unit in the third PDCP entity and the fourth RLC entity, and the second protocol stack of the terminal device may include the first functional unit in the third PDCP entity and the third RLC entity (i.e., the second bearer).

[0419] Among them, the second network device establishes a second PDCP entity and configures a second RLC entity (i.e., the fifth bearer) at the same time. At this time, the second RLC entity releases the association relationship with the first PDCP entity and then associates with the second PDCP entity.

[0420] Among them, the first network device releases the association relationship between the first PDCP entity and the second RLC entity, and the first PDCP entity associates with the first RLC entity.

[0421] It can be understood that when the terminal device configures the second protocol stack, the data of the first radio bearer can continue to pass through the first RLC entity and reach the first PDCP entity.

[0422] In a third possible implementation, the second network device may instruct the terminal device to configure the first functional unit and the second bearer and establish a third bearer. The second bearer is associated with the first functional unit, and the third bearer is associated with the second functional unit.

[0423] In a possible embodiment, before the terminal device configures the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer, the first protocol stack of the terminal device may be as follows Figure 18As shown in (a) therein, the data of the first radio bearer only passes through the second RLC entity and reaches the first PDCP entity, and then can be sent to the core network through the first PDCP entity; when the terminal device configures the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks for the first radio bearer, the protocol stacks of the first network device, the protocol stacks of the second network device, and the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks of the first radio bearer of the terminal device can be as follows Figure 18 As shown in (b) therein.

[0424] Among them, the first set of protocol stacks of the terminal device may include the second functional unit in the third PDCP entity and the fourth RLC entity (i.e., the third bearer), and the second set of protocol stacks of the terminal device may include the first functional unit in the third PDCP entity and the third RLC entity (i.e., the second bearer).

[0425] Among them, the second network device establishes the second PDCP entity and configures the second RLC entity (i.e., the fifth bearer) at the same time. At this time, the second RLC entity releases the association relationship with the first PDCP entity and then associates with the second PDCP entity.

[0426] Among them, the first network device releases the association relationship between the first PDCP entity and the second RLC entity and configures the first RLC entity so that the first PDCP entity associates with the first RLC entity.

[0427] It can be understood that when the terminal device configures the second set of protocol stacks, the data of the first radio bearer can pass through the first RLC entity and reach the first PDCP entity.

[0428] Based on the above Figures 12 - 18 shown communication method, optionally, the first indication information may be located in the secondary station deletion request message, or the first indication information may be located in the secondary station deletion response message.

[0429] Among them, the first network device may send a secondary station deletion request message to the second network device. Further, the second network device may send a secondary station deletion response message to the first network device), or the second network device may send a secondary station deletion request message to the first network device. Further, the first network device may send a secondary station deletion response message to the second network device.

[0430] Among them, the above Figures 12 - 18 shown communication method can be applied to the process of secondary station deletion. For example, the first network device may be the secondary station and the second network device may be the master station. Two possible designs are proposed in this application:

[0431] The first possible design is that the second network device may send a secondary station deletion request to the first network device. The specific steps for deleting the secondary station can be as follows Figure 19 As shown:

[0432] S1901. The second network device sends a secondary station deletion request message to the first network device; correspondingly, the first network device receives the secondary station deletion request message from the second network device.

[0433] S1902. The first network device sends a secondary station deletion response message to the second network device; correspondingly, the second network device receives the secondary station deletion response message from the first network device.

[0434] Based on S1901 and S1902, the first indication information can be located in the secondary station deletion request message or in the secondary station deletion response message.

[0435] Wherein, when the first indication information is located in the secondary station deletion request message, the second network device can instruct the first network device to configure a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device when deleting the first network device; in addition, the secondary station deletion response message can include second indication information, and the second network device can further determine whether the first network device configures the first radio bearer of the terminal device associated with the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack according to the second indication information.

[0436] Wherein, the first indication information and the second indication information can specifically refer to the description of the first indication information and the second indication information in S1201, which will not be elaborated here.

[0437] It can be understood that the second network device can obtain the first capability information of the first network device and / or the third capability information of the terminal device before S1901.

[0438] Wherein, the second network device obtains the first capability information / or the third capability information can refer to the above Figure 13 content shown, which will not be elaborated here.

[0439] Wherein, when the first indication information is located in the secondary station deletion response message, the first network device can instruct the second network device to configure a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device when deleting the first network device; in addition, the second network device can also send second indication information to the first network device (the second indication information can be sent after S1902), and the first network device can further determine whether the second network device configures the first radio bearer of the terminal device associated with the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack according to the second indication information.

[0440] Wherein, the second indication information can specifically refer to the description of the second indication information in S1201, which will not be elaborated here.

[0441] It can be understood that the first network device can obtain the second capability information of the second network device and / or the third capability information of the terminal device before 1902.

[0442] Among them, the specific process of the first network device obtaining the second capability information and / or the third capability information can refer to the content shown above, which will not be elaborated here. Figure 14 The content is as shown above and will not be elaborated here.

[0443] For the convenience of subsequent understanding, Figure 19 In the communication method shown, the first indication information is uniformly located in the secondary station deletion request message.

[0444] Optionally, the second network device can send Xn-U tunnel address information to the first network device. Correspondingly, the first network device can receive the Xn-U tunnel address information from the second network device and perform data forwarding through the Xn-U tunnel corresponding to the Xn-U tunnel address information (for example, the first network device can send the data of the first radio bearer from the terminal device to the second network device, or the first network device can send the data from the AMF network element to the second network device).

[0445] S1903. The second network device sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal device; correspondingly, the terminal device receives the RRC reconfiguration message from the second network device.

[0446] Among them, the RRC reconfiguration message includes first information, and the first information can refer to the description of the first information in S1202, which will not be elaborated here.

[0447] Optionally, the RRC reconfiguration message may include one or more of the following: first configuration information, second configuration information, or third configuration information; or the first information may include one or more of the following: first configuration information, second configuration information, or third configuration information, without limitation.

[0448] It can be understood that the terminal device can configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer according to the RRC reconfiguration message.

[0449] Among them, before the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer is completed, the terminal device can deliver the uplink data of the first radio bearer to the second functional unit (or the terminal device can process the uplink data of the first radio bearer through the second functional unit); after the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer, the terminal device can deliver the downlink data of the first radio bearer to the first functional unit (or the terminal device can process the downlink data of the first radio bearer through the first functional unit).

[0450] S1904. The terminal device sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the second network device; correspondingly, the second network device receives the RRC reconfiguration complete message from the terminal device.

[0451] Among them, the RRC reconfiguration complete message is used to respond to the RRC reconfiguration message.

[0452] S1905. The second network device sends fourth indication information to the first network device; correspondingly, the first network device receives the fourth indication information from the second network device.

[0453] Among them, the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device has completed the configuration of the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks of the first radio bearer.

[0454] In one example, taking the fourth indication information as a single bit, when the bit value is 1, it can indicate that the terminal device has completed the configuration of the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks of the first radio bearer; when the bit value is 0, it can indicate that the terminal device has not completed the configuration of the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks of the first radio bearer. Or, when the bit value is 0, it can indicate that the terminal device has completed the configuration of the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks of the first radio bearer; when the bit value is 1, it can indicate that the terminal device has not completed the configuration of the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks of the first radio bearer.

[0455] In another example, when the terminal device does not send the fourth indication information, the second network device can default that the terminal device has not completed the configuration of the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks of the first radio bearer. For example, taking the fourth indication information as a single bit, when the bit value is 1, it can indicate that the terminal device has completed the configuration of the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks of the first radio bearer; or, when the bit value is 0, it can indicate that the terminal device has completed the configuration of the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks of the first radio bearer.

[0456] Optionally, the fourth indication information can be transmitted separately or carried in the RRC reconfiguration complete message, without limitation.

[0457] Based on the content shown in the above S1901 - S1905, optionally, for the first network device to send uplink data to the AMF network element, the first network device can send uplink data to the AMF network element after S1902 and stop sending uplink data to the AMF network element after receiving the fourth indication information; or, the first network device can also stop sending uplink data to the AMF network element after S1702, send a status transfer message to the second network device and perform data forwarding.

[0458] Further, the second network device can deduplicate and reorder the status transfer message and the forwarding data, and deliver them to the UPF network element through the AMF network element.

[0459] Based on the content shown in S1901-S1905 above, optionally, for the terminal device to send data of the first radio bearer to the first network device, the first network device can continue the uplink scheduling after S1902 (the terminal device may still have buffered data packets), that is, receive the data of the first radio bearer from the terminal device, and end the uplink scheduling after S1905; or, the first network device can end the uplink scheduling when receiving the seventh indication information from the terminal device.

[0460] Among them, the seventh indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device terminates the transmission with the first network device.

[0461] In one example, taking the seventh indication information as one bit, when the bit value is 1, it can indicate that the terminal device terminates the transmission with the first network device; when the bit value is 0, it can indicate that the terminal device does not terminate the transmission with the first network device. Or, when the bit value is 0, it can indicate that the terminal device terminates the transmission with the first network device; when the bit value is 1, it can indicate that the terminal device does not terminate the transmission with the first network device.

[0462] In another example, when the terminal device does not send the seventh indication information to the first network device, the first network device can default that the terminal device does not terminate the transmission with the first network device. For example, taking the seventh indication information as one bit, when the bit value is 1, it can indicate that it is determined that the terminal device terminates the transmission with the first network device; or, when the bit value is 0, it can indicate that the terminal device terminates the transmission with the first network device.

[0463] Based on the content shown in S1901-S1905 above, optionally, for the first network device to send data of the first radio bearer to the terminal device, the first network device can end the downlink scheduling after S1902; or, the first network device can end the downlink scheduling after S1905.

[0464] S1906: The first network device triggers a path update process.

[0465] Or, the second network device triggers a path update process.

[0466] It can be understood that the UPF network element can release the downlink (or uplink) NG-U tunnel with the first network device and enable the downlink (or uplink) NG-U tunnel with the second network device during the path update process to realize the data transmission between the second network device and the UPF.

[0467] It can be understood that before the UPF network element releases the downlink (or uplink) UG-N tunnel with the first network device, the UPF network element can send end identification information to the first network device through the AMF network element to indicate that the UPF network element ends the transmission with the first network device.

[0468] It can be understood that if the terminal device fails to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer, the downlink (or uplink) NG-U tunnel between the UPF network element and the first network device is restored.

[0469] S1907. The second network device sends fifth indication information to the terminal device; correspondingly, the terminal device receives the fifth indication information from the second network device.

[0470] Wherein, the fifth indication information is used to indicate the release of the first protocol stack.

[0471] Furthermore, the terminal device can release the first protocol stack according to the fifth indication information.

[0472] Alternatively, the fifth indication information is used to indicate the release of the connection with the first network device.

[0473] Furthermore, the terminal device can release the connection with the first network device according to the fifth indication information.

[0474] In one example, taking the fifth indication information as one bit, when the bit value is 1, the terminal device can release the first protocol stack; when the bit value is 0, the terminal device can not release the first protocol stack. Or, when the bit value is 0, the terminal device can release the first protocol stack; when the bit value is 1, the terminal device can not release the first protocol stack.

[0475] In another example, when the second network device does not send the fifth indication information, the terminal device can determine not to release the first protocol stack. For example, taking the fifth indication information as one bit, when the bit value is 1, the terminal device can release the first protocol stack; or, when the bit value is 0, the terminal device can release the first protocol stack.

[0476] Based on the terminal device releasing the first protocol stack, this application proposes two possible embodiments:

[0477] In the first possible embodiment, when the terminal device establishes the first functional unit and the first bearer (that is, the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer of the terminal device can be as shown in (b) of Figure 15 and (c) of Figure 16 ), the terminal device can release the first protocol stack, that is, the second protocol stack of the terminal device can be as shown in (c) of Figure 15 and (c) of 16.

[0478] In a second possible embodiment, when the terminal device newly configures a second functional unit and a second bearer (that is, the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer of the terminal device can be as shown in (b) of Figure 17 and (c) of Figure 18 ), the terminal device may release the connection with the first network device. Then, the second protocol stack of the terminal device can be as shown in (c) of Figure 17 and (c) of 18.

[0479] Optionally, the first network device may send sixth indication information to the second network device; correspondingly, the second network device may receive the sixth indication information from the first network device.

[0480] Wherein, the sixth indication information is used to indicate that the first network device terminates data transmission with the terminal device.

[0481] In an example, taking the sixth indication information as one bit, when the bit value is 1, it may indicate that the first network device terminates data transmission with the terminal device; when the bit value is 0, it may indicate that the first network device does not terminate data transmission with the terminal device. Or, when the bit value is 0, it may indicate that the first network device terminates data transmission with the terminal device; when the bit value is 1, it may indicate that the first network device does not terminate data transmission with the terminal device.

[0482] In another example, when the first network device does not send the sixth indication information to the second network device, the second network device may default that the first network device does not terminate data transmission with the terminal device. For example, taking the sixth indication information as one bit, when the bit value is 1, it may indicate that the first network device terminates data transmission with the terminal device; or, when the bit value is 0, it may indicate that the first network device terminates data transmission with the terminal device.

[0483] It can be understood that the sixth indication information may also indicate the type of data transmission terminated by the first network device.

[0484] Exemplarily, taking the sixth indication information as two bits, when the bit value is 00, it may indicate that the first network device terminates downlink data transmission with the terminal device; when the bit value is 01, it may indicate that the first network device terminates uplink scheduling (that is, the terminal device does not send uplink data to the first network device); when the bit value is 10, it may indicate that the first network device terminates data transmission of the first radio bearer with the terminal device (that is, the first network device only terminates data transmission associated with the first radio bearer, but may perform data transmission of other radio bearers with the terminal device).

[0485] It can be understood that after receiving the sixth indication information from the first network device, the second network device may send the fifth indication information to the first network device.

[0486] It can be understood that after determining that the first network device terminates the transmission with the terminal device, the second network device may send the fifth indication information to the terminal device, which can avoid as much as possible the situation where the first network device has not terminated the transmission with the terminal device, but the terminal device releases the connection with the first network device, and can improve the reliability of communication.

[0487] Alternatively, after receiving the status transfer message from the first network device, the second network device may send the fifth indication information to the first network device.

[0488] Among them, the status transfer message may refer to the above Figure 4 description of the status transfer message, which will not be elaborated here.

[0489] Based on the above Figure 19 shown communication method, in the process of deleting the secondary station, the second network device may instruct the terminal device to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer. When configuring the second protocol stack, the terminal device may process and transmit the data of the first radio bearer through the first protocol stack, which can avoid as much as possible the situation where the terminal device pauses processing and transmitting the data of the first radio bearer, and thus can improve the communication performance; further, in the secondary station deletion process, the second network device may instruct the terminal device to release the first protocol stack, providing a feasible solution for the implementation of configuring the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0490] In the second possible design, the first network device may send a secondary station deletion request to the second network device. The specific steps for deleting the secondary station may be as follows Figure 20 shown:

[0491] S2001. The first network device sends a secondary station deletion request message to the second network device; correspondingly, the second network device receives the secondary station deletion request message from the first network device.

[0492] Exemplarily, the secondary station deletion request message may include the identification information of the first network device, the identification information of the second network device, the identification information of the terminal device, the indication information of the protocol data unit (PDU) session resources that the first network device needs to release, the reason information for the first network device to release resources, the RRC configuration message of the first network device, etc.

[0493] S2002. The second network device sends a secondary station deletion response message to the first network device; correspondingly, the first network device receives the secondary station deletion response message from the second network device.

[0494] Based on S2001 and S2002, the first indication information may be located in the secondary station deletion request message or in the secondary station deletion response message.

[0495] Among them, when the first indication information is located in the secondary station deletion request message, the first network device may instruct the second network device to configure a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device when deleting the first network device; in addition, the secondary station deletion response message may include second indication information, and the first network device may further determine whether the second network device configures the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack associated with the first radio bearer of the terminal device according to the second indication information.

[0496] Among them, the specific descriptions of the first indication information and the second indication information may refer to the descriptions of the first indication information and the second indication information in S1201, which will not be elaborated here.

[0497] It can be understood that the first network device may obtain the second capability information of the second network device and / or the third capability information of the terminal device before S2001.

[0498] Among them, the first network device's acquisition of the second capability information and / or the third capability information may specifically refer to the above Figure 15 as shown content, which will not be elaborated here.

[0499] Among them, when the first indication information is located in the secondary station deletion response message, the second network device may instruct the first network device to configure a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device when deleting the first network device; in addition, the first network device may further send second indication information to the second network device (the second indication information may be sent after S2002), and the second network device may further determine whether the first network device configures the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer of the terminal device according to the second indication information.

[0500] Among them, the specific description of the second indication information may refer to the description of the second indication information in S1201, which will not be elaborated here.

[0501] It can be understood that the second network device may obtain the first capability information of the first network device and the third capability information of the terminal device before S2002.

[0502] Among them, the second network device's acquisition of the first capability information / or the third capability information may refer to the above Figure 14 as shown content, which will not be elaborated here.

[0503] For the convenience of subsequent understanding, Figure 20 in the method shown, the first indication information is uniformly located in the secondary station deletion response message.

[0504] S2003. The second network device sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal device; correspondingly, the terminal device receives the RRC reconfiguration message from the second network device.

[0505] Among them, S2103 is similar to the above S1903 and will not be elaborated here.

[0506] S2004. The terminal device sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the second network device; correspondingly, the second network device receives the RRC reconfiguration complete message from the terminal device.

[0507] Among them, S2004 is similar to the above S1904 and will not be elaborated here.

[0508] S2005. The second network device sends fourth indication information to the first network device; correspondingly, the first network device receives the fourth indication information from the second network device.

[0509] Among them, S2005 is similar to the above S1905 and will not be elaborated here.

[0510] S2006. The first network device triggers a path update process.

[0511] Or, the second network device triggers a path update process.

[0512] Among them, S2006 is similar to the above S1906 and will not be elaborated here.

[0513] S2007. The second network device sends fifth indication information to the terminal device; correspondingly, the terminal device receives the fifth indication information from the second network device.

[0514] Among them, S2007 is similar to the above S1907 and will not be elaborated here.

[0515] Based on the above Figure 20In the communication method shown, the first network device can instruct the terminal device to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for the first wireless bearer in the process of deleting the auxiliary station. The terminal device can process and transmit the data of the first wireless bearer through the first protocol stack when configuring the second protocol stack, which can avoid the situation where the terminal device suspends processing and transmission of data of the first wireless bearer as much as possible, thereby improving the communication performance; further, the second network device can instruct the terminal device to release the first protocol stack in the process of deleting the auxiliary station, providing a feasible solution for configuring the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for the first wireless bearer of the terminal device.

[0516] It should be noted that the various embodiments of this application can be implemented independently or in combination, without limitation. Unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions of the different embodiments provided in this application are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0517] It is understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the execution subject may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments of the present application. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of the present application may also perform other operations or variations of various operations. In addition, the various steps may be performed in a different order than those presented in the embodiments of the present application, and it is possible that not all operations in the embodiments of the present application need to be performed.

[0518] The above mainly introduces the solution provided by this application from the perspective of interaction between various devices. Accordingly, this application also provides a communication device, which is used to implement the various methods described above. The communication device can be the second network device in the above method embodiment, or a device including the above second network device, or a component that can be used for the second network device; or the communication device can be the terminal device in the above method embodiment, or a device including the above terminal device, or a component that can be used for the terminal device; or the communication device can be the first network device in the above method embodiment, or a device including the above first network device, or a component that can be used for the first network device.

[0519] It can be understood that, in order to implement the above functions, the communication device includes the corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, combining the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is executed in the way of hardware or computer software driving the hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional technicians 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 this application.

[0520] The embodiments of this application can divide the communication device into functional modules according to the above method embodiments. For example, each functional module can be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional module. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiments of this application is illustrative, only a logical function division, and there can be other division methods in actual implementation.

[0521] In one implementation scenario, taking the communication device as the second network device in the above method embodiment as an example, Figure 21 FIG. shows a schematic structural diagram of a second network device 210. Among them, the second network device 210 includes a processing module 2101 and a transceiver module 2102.

[0522] In some embodiments, the second network device 210 may further include a storage module ( Figure 21 not shown in the figure) for storing program instructions and data.

[0523] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 2102, which can also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement the sending and / or receiving functions. The transceiver module 2102 can be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0524] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 2102 may include a receiving module and a sending module, which are respectively used to execute the receiving and sending steps executed by the second network device in the above method embodiments, and / or to support other processes of the technologies described herein; the processing module 2101 can be used to execute the processing steps (such as determination, generation, etc.) executed by the second network device in the above method embodiments, and / or to support other processes of the technologies described herein.

[0525] Exemplarily, the transceiver module 2102 sends first indication information to a first network device; or receives first indication information from the first network device; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that a first radio bearer of the terminal device corresponds to a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack; the first protocol stack corresponds to a first entity of the first network device, and the second protocol stack corresponds to a second entity of a second network device; the first entity and the second entity are used to process data of the first radio bearer; the transceiver module 2102 is further used to send first information to the terminal device; wherein the first information is used to indicate deleting the first network device, and the first information is further used to indicate that the first radio bearer corresponds to the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack; the terminal device communicates with the first network device and the second network device.

[0526] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 2102 is further used to send first configuration information to the terminal device; wherein the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to establish a first functional unit corresponding to the second protocol stack, and the first functional unit corresponds to the second entity; or the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to configure the first functional unit corresponding to the second protocol stack, and the first functional unit corresponds to the second entity.

[0527] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 2102 is further used to send second configuration information to the terminal device; wherein the second configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to establish a first bearer in the second protocol stack; the first bearer is associated with the first functional unit; or the second configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to release the association between a second bearer corresponding to the second network device and a second functional unit, and the second configuration information is further used to instruct to configure the association between the second bearer and the first functional unit; the second functional unit corresponds to the first entity.

[0528] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 2102 is further used to send third configuration information to the terminal device; wherein the third configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to establish a third bearer corresponding to the first protocol stack; the third bearer is associated with the second functional unit; or the third configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to configure a fourth bearer corresponding to the first protocol stack; the fourth bearer is associated with the second functional unit; the second functional unit corresponds to the first entity.

[0529] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 2102 is further used to receive third configuration information from the first network device.

[0530] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 2102 is further used to receive first capability information from the first network device; wherein the first capability information is used to indicate that the first network device supports configuring the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack for the first radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0531] A possible implementation is that the transceiver module 2102 is further configured to send second capability information to the first network device; wherein, the second capability information is used to indicate that the second network device supports configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for a first radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0532] A possible implementation is that the transceiver module 2102 is further configured to receive third capability information from the terminal device; wherein, the third capability information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for a first radio bearer.

[0533] A possible implementation is that the transceiver module 2102 is further configured to send third capability information to the first network device.

[0534] A possible implementation is that the transceiver module 2102 is further configured to send second indication information to the first network device. Alternatively, the transceiver module 2102 is further configured to receive second indication information from the first network device; the second indication information is used to indicate associating a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack with a first radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0535] A possible implementation is that the transceiver module 2102 is further configured to send third indication information to the first network device; or, the transceiver module 2102 receives third indication information from the first network device; wherein, the third indication information is used to indicate releasing the association between a first entity and a fifth bearer in the second network device. The processing module 2101 is configured to determine, according to the third indication information, that the first network device releases the association between the first entity and the fifth bearer in the second network device.

[0536] A possible implementation is that the transceiver module 2102 is further configured to send fourth indication information to the first network device; wherein, the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device has completed the configuration of a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack for a first radio bearer.

[0537] A possible implementation is that the transceiver module 2102 is further configured to send fifth indication information to the terminal device; wherein, the fifth indication information is used to indicate releasing the first protocol stack; or, the fifth indication information is used to indicate releasing the connection with the first network device.

[0538] A possible implementation is that the transceiver module 2102 is further configured to receive sixth indication information from the first network device; wherein, the sixth indication information is used to indicate that the first network device terminates the transmission with the terminal device.

[0539] A possible implementation is that the transceiver module 2102 is further configured to send fifth indication information to the terminal device according to the sixth indication information.

[0540] In one possible implementation, the first entity is a packet data convergence layer protocol entity, and the second entity is a packet data convergence layer protocol entity; or, the first entity is a functional unit of the packet data convergence layer protocol, and the second entity is a functional unit of the packet data convergence layer protocol.

[0541] In the present application, the second network device 210 is presented in the form of various functional modules divided in an integrated manner. Here, "module" can refer to a specific application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0542] In some embodiments, in terms of hardware implementation, those skilled in the art may imagine that the second network device 210 may adopt Figure 11 The form of the communication device 110 is shown.

[0543] As an example, Figure 21 The function / implementation process of the processing module 2101 can be achieved by Figure 11 The processor 1101 in the communication device 110 shown calls the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1103 to implement. Figure 21 The function / implementation process of the transceiver module 2102 can be achieved by Figure 11 The communication interface 1104 in the communication device 110 is shown to be implemented.

[0544] In some embodiments, when Figure 21 When the second network device 210 is a chip or a chip system, the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 2102 can be implemented through the input and output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or the chip system, and the function / implementation process of the processing module 2101 can be implemented through the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or the chip system.

[0545] Since the second network device 210 provided in this embodiment can execute the above method, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0546] In another implementation scenario, taking the communication device as the terminal device in the above method embodiment as an example, Figure 22 FIG2 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device 220 , wherein the terminal device 220 includes a processing module 2201 and a transceiver module 2202 .

[0547] In some embodiments, the terminal device 220 may further include a storage module ( Figure 22 ), for storing program instructions and data.

[0548] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 2202, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement the sending and / or receiving functions. The transceiver module 2202 may be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0549] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 2202 may include a receiving module and a sending module, which are respectively used to execute the receiving and sending steps performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments, and / or to support other processes of the technologies described herein; the processing module 2201 may be used to execute the processing steps (such as determination, generation, etc.) performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments, and / or to support other processes of the technologies described herein.

[0550] Exemplarily, the transceiver module 2202 is used to receive first information from a second network device; wherein, the first information is used to indicate deleting the first network device, and the first information is also used to indicate that the first radio bearer corresponds to a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack; the terminal device communicates with the first network device and the second network device; the processing module 2201 is used to configure the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer according to the first information.

[0551] A possible implementation is that the transceiver module 2202 is further used to receive first configuration information from a second network device; wherein, the first configuration information is used to indicate that the terminal device establishes a first functional unit corresponding to the second protocol stack, and the first functional unit corresponds to a second entity of the second network device; the second entity is used to process the data of the first radio bearer; the processing module 2201 is further used to establish the first functional unit according to the first configuration information. Or, the transceiver module 2202 is further used to receive first configuration information from a second network device; wherein, the first configuration information is used to indicate that the terminal device configures a first functional unit corresponding to the second protocol stack, and the first functional unit corresponds to a second entity of the second network device; the second entity is used to process the data of the first radio bearer; the processing module 2201 is further used to configure the first functional unit according to the first configuration information.

[0552] A possible implementation is that the transceiver module 2202 is further configured to receive second configuration information from a second network device; wherein the second configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to establish a first bearer in a second protocol stack; the first bearer is associated with a first functional unit; the processing module 2201 is further configured to establish the first bearer according to the second configuration information. Alternatively, the transceiver module 2202 is further configured to receive second configuration information from a second network device; wherein the second configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to release the association relationship between a second bearer corresponding to the second network device and a second functional unit, and the second configuration information is further used to instruct to configure the association between the second bearer and the first functional unit; the second functional unit corresponds to a first entity; the processing module 2201 is further configured to configure the second bearer according to the second configuration information.

[0553] A possible implementation is that the transceiver module 2202 is further configured to receive third configuration information from a second network device; wherein the third configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to establish a third bearer corresponding to a first protocol stack; the third bearer is associated with a second functional unit; the second functional unit corresponds to a first entity; the processing module 2201 is further configured to establish the third bearer according to the third configuration information. Alternatively, the transceiver module 2202 is further configured to receive third configuration information from a second network device; wherein the third configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to configure a fourth bearer corresponding to the first protocol stack; the fourth bearer is associated with the second functional unit; the processing module 2201 is further configured to configure the third bearer according to the third configuration information.

[0554] A possible implementation is that the transceiver module 2202 is further configured to send third capability information to a second network device; wherein the third capability information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack of a first radio bearer.

[0555] A possible implementation is that the transceiver module 2202 is further configured to send third capability information to a first network device; wherein the third capability information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports configuring a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack of a first radio bearer.

[0556] A possible implementation is that the transceiver module 2202 is further configured to receive fifth indication information from a second network device; wherein the fifth indication information is used to indicate releasing the first protocol stack; or the fifth indication information is used to indicate releasing the connection with the first network device; the processing module 2201 is further configured to release the first protocol stack or release the connection with the first network device according to the fifth indication information.

[0557] A possible implementation is that the transceiver module 2202 is further configured to send seventh indication information to a first network device; wherein the seventh indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device terminates the transmission with the first network device.

[0558] In this application, the terminal device 220 is presented in the form of integrating and dividing each functional module. Here, a "module" may refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and a memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0559] In some embodiments, in terms of hardware implementation, those skilled in the art can conceive that the terminal device 220 can adopt Figure 11 the form of the communication device 110 shown.

[0560] As an example, Figure 22 the function / implementation process of the processing module 2201 in can be realized by the processor 1101 in the communication device 110 shown in calling the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 1103. Figure 11 The function / implementation process of the transceiver module 2202 in can be realized by the communication interface 1104 in the communication device 110 shown in. Figure 22 The function / implementation process of the transceiver module 2202 in can be realized by Figure 11 the communication interface 1104 in the communication device 110 shown in.

[0561] In some embodiments, when Figure 22 the terminal device 220 in is a chip or a chip system, the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 2202 can be realized through the input / output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or chip system, and the function / implementation process of the processing module 2201 can be realized through the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or chip system.

[0562] Since the terminal device 220 provided in this embodiment can execute the above method, the technical effects it can obtain can refer to the above method embodiments and will not be elaborated here.

[0563] In another implementation scenario, taking the communication device as the first network device in the above method embodiment as an example, Figure 23 shows a schematic structural diagram of a first network device 230. Among them, the first network device 230 includes a processing module 2301 and a transceiver module 2302.

[0564] In some embodiments, the first network device 230 may further include a storage module ( Figure 23 not shown in ) for storing program instructions and data.

[0565] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 2302, which can also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement the sending and / or receiving functions. The transceiver module 2302 can be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0566] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 2302 may include a receiving module and a sending module, which are respectively used to execute the receiving and sending steps performed by the first network device in the above method embodiments, and / or other processes for supporting the technologies described herein; the processing module 2301 may be used to execute the processing steps (such as determination, generation, etc.) performed by the first network device in the above method embodiments, and / or other processes for supporting the technologies described herein.

[0567] Exemplarily, the transceiver module 2302 is used to receive first indication information from a second network device; or, to send first indication information to the second network device; wherein, the first indication information is used to indicate that the first radio bearer of the terminal device corresponds to a first set of protocol stacks and a second set of protocol stacks; the first set of protocol stacks corresponds to a first entity of the first network device, and the second set of protocol stacks corresponds to a second entity of the second network device; the first entity and the second entity are used to process the data of the first radio bearer.

[0568] A possible implementation is that the transceiver module 2302 is further used to send third configuration information to the second network device; wherein, the third configuration information is used to indicate that the terminal device establishes a third bearer corresponding to the first set of protocol stacks; the third bearer is associated with a second functional unit; the second functional unit corresponds to the first entity.

[0569] A possible implementation is that the transceiver module 2302 is further used to send first capability information to the second network device; wherein, the first capability information is used to indicate that the first network device supports configuring a first set of protocol stacks and a second set of protocol stacks for the first radio bearer of the terminal device.

[0570] A possible implementation is that the transceiver module 2302 is further used to receive third capability information from the second network device; wherein, the third capability information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports configuring a first set of protocol stacks and a second set of protocol stacks for the first radio bearer.

[0571] A possible implementation is that the transceiver module 2302 is further used to receive second indication information from the second network device. Or, the transceiver module 2302 is further used to send second indication information to the second network device; wherein, the second indication information is used to indicate that the first radio bearer of the terminal device is configured to be associated with a first set of protocol stacks and a second set of protocol stacks.

[0572] A possible implementation is that the transceiver module 2302 is further configured to receive third indication information from a second network device; the processing module 2301 is configured to release the association relationship between a first entity and a fifth bearer in the second network device according to the third indication information. Alternatively, the processing module 2301 is configured to send the third indication information to the second network device; wherein the third indication information is used to indicate the release of the association relationship between the first entity and the fifth bearer in the second network device.

[0573] A possible implementation is that the transceiver module 2302 is further configured to receive fourth indication information from a second network device; wherein the fourth indication information is used to indicate that a terminal device completes the configuration of associating a first radio bearer with a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack; the processing module 2301 is further configured to send an indication information for ending downlink scheduling to a core network device according to the fourth indication information.

[0574] A possible implementation is that the transceiver module 2302 is further configured to receive seventh indication information from a terminal device; wherein the seventh indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device terminates the transmission with a first network device; the processing module 2301 is further configured to end the uplink scheduling according to the seventh indication information.

[0575] In this application, the first network device 230 is presented in a form of dividing each functional module in an integrated manner. Here, the "module" may refer to a specific application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and a memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0576] In some embodiments, in terms of hardware implementation, those skilled in the art can think that the first network device 230 may adopt Figure 11 the form of the communication device 110 shown.

[0577] As an example, Figure 23 the function / implementation process of the processing module 2301 in Figure 11 can be implemented by the processor 1101 in the communication device 110 shown calling computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1103. Figure 23 The function / implementation process of the transceiver module 2302 in Figure 11 can be implemented by the communication interface 1104 in the communication device 110 shown.

[0578] In some embodiments, when Figure 23When the first network device 230 in [the above] is a chip or a chip system, the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 2302 can be implemented through the input / output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or chip system, and the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 2301 can be implemented through the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or chip system.

[0579] Since the first network device 230 provided in this embodiment can execute the above method, the technical effects it can obtain can refer to the above method embodiment and will not be elaborated here.

[0580] As a possible product form, the second network device, the terminal device, and the first network device described in the embodiments of this application can also be implemented using the following: one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware components, any other suitable circuits, or any combination of circuits capable of performing the various functions described throughout this application.

[0581] As another possible product form, the second network device, the terminal device, and the first network device described in the embodiments of this application can be implemented by a general bus architecture. For ease of explanation, refer to Figure 24 , Figure 24 is a schematic structural diagram of the communication device 240 provided in the embodiments of this application. The communication device 240 includes a processor 2401 and a transceiver 2402. The communication device 240 can be a second network device, or a chip or module therein; or, the communication device 240 can be a terminal device, or a chip or module therein; or, the communication device 240 can be a first network device, or a chip or module therein. Figure 24 Only the main components of the communication device 240 are shown. In addition to the processor 2401 and the transceiver 2402, the communication device may further include a memory 2403. Optionally, the memory can be integrated with the processor.

[0582] Optionally, the processor 2401 is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process the data of software programs. The memory 2403 is mainly used to store software programs and data. The transceiver 2402 may include a radio frequency circuit and an antenna. The radio frequency circuit is mainly used for the conversion between baseband signals and radio frequency signals and the processing of radio frequency signals. The antenna is mainly used to transmit and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves.

[0583] Optionally, the processor 2401, the transceiver 2402, and the memory 2403 may be connected via a communication bus.

[0584] After the communication device is powered on, the processor 2401 may read the software program in the memory 2403, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be wirelessly transmitted, after the processor 2401 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted, it outputs a baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit, and the radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal and then transmits the radio frequency signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 2401. The processor 2401 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0585] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuit and the antenna may be provided independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuit and the antenna may be independent of the communication device and arranged in a remote manner.

[0586] In some embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide a communication device, which includes a processor for implementing the method in any of the above method embodiments. The communication device may be the second network device, the terminal device, and the first network device in the above method embodiments.

[0587] As a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory. The memory is used to store necessary computer programs and data. The computer program may include instructions, and the processor may call the instructions in the computer program stored in the memory to instruct the communication device to execute the method in any of the above method embodiments. Of course, the memory may not be in the communication device either.

[0588] As another possible implementation, the communication device further includes an interface circuit, which is a code / data read / write interface circuit. The interface circuit is used to receive computer execution instructions (the computer execution instructions are stored in the memory, and may be directly read from the memory or may pass through other devices) and transmit them to the processor.

[0589] As yet another possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface, which is used to communicate with modules outside the communication device.

[0590] It can be understood that the communication device may be a chip or a chip system. When the communication device is a chip system, it may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0591] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a computer, it realizes the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0592] The present application also provides a computer program product, which realizes the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0593] It can be understood that the systems, devices, and methods described in the present application can also be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the displayed or discussed coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between each other can be through some interfaces. The indirect coupling or communication connection of the devices or units can be in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0594] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, that is, they may be located in one place, or they may be distributed to multiple network units. The components displayed as units may or may not be physical units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0595] In addition, the functional units in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically alone, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit.

[0596] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes (or functions) described in the embodiments of the present application are implemented. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center in a wired manner (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wirelessly (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more media integrated therein. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (such as a floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (such as a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (such as a solid state drive (SSD)), etc. In the embodiments of the present application, the computer can include the devices described above.

[0597] Although the present application has been described in conjunction with various embodiments herein, however, in the process of implementing the claimed present application, those skilled in the art can understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments by viewing the accompanying drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "one" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions recited in the claims. Certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims, but this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Including: Sending first indication information to a first network device; Or, receiving first indication information from the first network device; wherein, the first indication information is used to indicate that a first radio bearer of the terminal device corresponds to a first protocol stack and a second protocol stack; the first protocol stack corresponds to a first entity of the first network device, and the second protocol stack corresponds to a second entity of a second network device; the first entity and the second entity are used to process data of the first radio bearer; Sending first information to the terminal device; wherein, the first information is used to indicate deleting the first network device, and the first information is further used to indicate that the first radio bearer corresponds to the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack; the terminal device communicates with the first network device and the second network device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Sending first configuration information to the terminal device; Wherein, the first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to establish a first functional unit corresponding to the second protocol stack, and the first functional unit corresponds to the second entity; or, The first configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to configure a first functional unit corresponding to the second protocol stack, and the first functional unit corresponds to the second entity.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The method further includes: Sending second configuration information to the terminal device; Wherein, the second configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to establish a first bearer corresponding to the second protocol stack; the first bearer is associated with the first functional unit; or, The second configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to release the association relationship between a second bearer and a second functional unit, the second bearer corresponds to the second network device, and the second functional unit corresponds to the first entity.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein The second configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to release the association relationship between the second bearer and the second functional unit, The second configuration information is further used to instruct to configure the association between the second bearer and the first functional unit, and the second bearer corresponds to the second network device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Sending third configuration information to the terminal device; wherein, the third configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to establish a third bearer corresponding to the first protocol stack; the third bearer is associated with a second functional unit; or, the third configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to configure a fourth bearer corresponding to the first protocol stack; the fourth bearer is associated with the second functional unit; The second functional unit corresponds to the first entity.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receiving third capability information from the terminal device; wherein, the third capability information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports configuring the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that The method further includes: Sending second indication information to the first network device; or, receiving second indication information from the first network device; Wherein, the second indication information is used to indicate configuring the first radio bearer of the terminal device to be associated with the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The method further includes: Send fourth indication information to the first network device; wherein, the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device completes the configuration of the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks of the first radio bearer.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send fifth indication information to the terminal device; wherein, the fifth indication information is used to indicate the release of the first set of protocol stacks; or, the fifth indication information is used to indicate the release of the connection with the first network device.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive sixth indication information from the first network device; wherein, the sixth indication information is used to indicate that the first network device terminates data transmission with the terminal device.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein According to the sixth indication information, send the fifth indication information to the terminal device.

12. A communication method, characterized in that, Includes: Receive first information from a second network device; wherein, the first information is used to indicate the deletion of a first network device, the first information is further used to indicate that a first radio bearer corresponds to a first set of protocol stacks and a second set of protocol stacks; the terminal device communicates with the first network device and the second network device; According to the first information, configure the first set of protocol stacks and the second set of protocol stacks of the first radio bearer.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein The method further includes: Receive first configuration information from the second network device; according to the first configuration information, establish a first functional unit; wherein, the first configuration information is used to indicate that the terminal device establishes the first functional unit corresponding to the second set of protocol stacks, the first functional unit corresponds to a second entity of the second network device; the second entity is used to process data of the first radio bearer; or, Receive first configuration information from the second network device, and according to the first configuration information, configure a first functional unit; wherein, the first configuration information is used to indicate that the terminal device configures the first functional unit corresponding to the second set of protocol stacks, the first functional unit corresponds to a second entity of the second network device; the second entity is used to process data of the first radio bearer.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein The method further includes: Receive second configuration information from the second network device; according to the second configuration information, establish a first bearer; wherein, the second configuration information is used to indicate that the terminal device establishes the first bearer corresponding to the second set of protocol stacks; the first bearer is associated with the first functional unit; or, Receive second configuration information from the second network device, and according to the second configuration information, configure a second bearer; wherein, the second configuration information is used to indicate that the terminal device releases the association relationship between the second bearer corresponding to the second network device and a second functional unit, the second configuration information is further used to indicate the configuration of the association between the second bearer and the first functional unit; the second functional unit corresponds to a first entity, and the first entity is used to process data of the first radio bearer.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive third configuration information from the second network device; establish a third bearer according to the third configuration information, where the third configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to establish the third bearer corresponding to the first protocol stack; the third bearer is associated with a second functional unit; or, Receive third configuration information from the second network device; configure a third bearer according to the third configuration information, where the third configuration information is used to instruct the terminal device to configure a fourth bearer corresponding to the first protocol stack; the fourth bearer is associated with a second functional unit; The second functional unit corresponds to the first entity.

16. The method according to any one of claims 12 - 15, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send third capability information to the second network device, where the third capability information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports configuring the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer.

17. The method according to any one of claims 12-16, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive fifth indication information from the second network device, where the fifth indication information is used to indicate releasing the first protocol stack; or the fifth indication information is used to indicate releasing the connection with the first network device; Release the first protocol stack or release the connection with the first network device according to the fifth indication information.

18. The method according to any one of claims 12-17, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send seventh indication information to the first network device, where the seventh indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device terminates the transmission with the first network device.

19. A communication method, characterized in that, Includes: Receive first indication information from a second network device; Or send first indication information to a second network device; where the first indication information is used to indicate that the first radio bearer of the terminal device corresponds to the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack; the first protocol stack corresponds to a first entity of the first network device, the second protocol stack corresponds to a second entity of the second network device; the first entity and the second entity are used to process data of the first radio bearer.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein The method further includes, Receive second indication information from the second network device; or send second indication information to the second network device; where the second indication information is used to indicate configuring the first radio bearer of the terminal device to be associated with the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack.

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive fourth indication information from the second network device, where the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device completes the configuration of the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack of the first radio bearer; Send an indication information for ending downlink scheduling to the core network device according to the fourth indication information.

22. The method according to any one of claims 19-21, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive seventh indication information from the terminal device, where the seventh indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device terminates the transmission with the first network device.

23. The method according to any one of claims 19 - 22, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send sixth indication information to the second network device, where the sixth indication information is used to indicate that the first network device terminates the data transmission with the terminal device.

24. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes: A transceiver module, configured to send first indication information to a first network device; Alternatively, receive first indication information from a first network device; wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that a first radio bearer of the terminal device corresponds to the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack; the first protocol stack corresponds to a first entity of the first network device, and the second protocol stack corresponds to a second entity of the second network device; the first entity and the second entity are used to process data of the first radio bearer. The transceiver module is further configured to send first information to the terminal device; wherein the first information is used to indicate the deletion of the first network device, and the first information is further used to indicate that the first radio bearer corresponds to the first protocol stack and the second protocol stack; the terminal device communicates with the first network device and the second network device.

25. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processor; the processor is configured to run a computer program or instruction, or to use a logic circuit to cause the communication device to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1-11, or to cause the communication device to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 12-18, or to cause the communication device to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 19-23.

26. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions or programs, and when the computer instructions or programs are run on a computer, it causes the communication method according to any one of claims 1-11 to be executed, or causes the communication device to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 12-18, or causes the communication device to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 19-23.

27. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes computer instructions; when part or all of the computer instructions are run, it causes the communication method according to any one of claims 1-11 to be executed, or causes the communication method according to any one of claims 12-18 to be executed, or causes the communication method according to any one of claims 19-23 to be executed.

28. A chip, characterized in that, Comprising: a memory for storing computer program instructions; a processor for executing the computer program instructions, causing the communication device including the chip to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1-11, or causing the communication device including the chip to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 12-18, or causing the communication device including the chip to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 19-23.

29. A communication system, characterized in that, The communication system includes a second network device, a terminal device, and a first network device; wherein the second network device is configured to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1-11, the terminal device is configured to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 12-18, and the first network device is configured to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 19-23.

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